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God, We've Known Such Grief and Anger

Carolyn Winfrey Gillette

IN BABILONE 8.7.8.7 D ("There's a Wideness in God's Mercy")

Written for the anniversary of September 11th.

God, we've known such grief and anger
As we've heard your people cry.
We have asked you, "How much longer?"
We have sadly wondered, "Why?"
In this world of so much suffering,
May we hear your word anew:
"I will never leave you orphaned;
I will not abandon you."

By your grace comes resurrection;
By your love, you cast out fear.
You give strength and sure direction
As we seek to serve you here.
You give comfort to the grieving,
And you bless the ones who mourn.
May we trust in you, believing
Out of chaos, hope is born.

Hope is ours for, God, you love us!
You have claimed us by your grace.
And through Jesus, you have called us
To bring hope to every place.
In each rescue worker's caring,
In each faithful volunteer,
In each Christian's love and sharing,
God, we glimpse your kingdom here.

A PDF format version of this hymn with music is also available. The free Adobe Acrobat® Reader must be installed on your computer in order for you to read and print PDF files. Also see her interfaith hymn written in response to Sept 11th, "O God, Our Words Cannot Express."

Biblical References: John 14:18; I John 4:18; Matthew 5:11, 28:16-20; and John 17:18.

Tune: Dutch melody, arranged by Julius Rontgen (1855-1933) Hymn tune is in the public domain.

This hymn was commissioned by Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) for the congregational resource Out of the Depths: Voices of the Presbyterian Faith Community at Work After September 11, an anniversary publication. Permission is granted for this hymn's free use by churches that support Church World Service and UMCOR. She appreciates churches sending a copy of their worship bulletin to her at the address above if they use the hymn.

Carolyn Winfrey Gillette is the co-pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Pitman, NJ. Her book titled Gifts of Love: New Hymns for Today's Worship is a collection of 45 new hymns published by Geneva Press.