715Isaiah 41:10, 17-186 5. 6 5. D, with refrain
STANDING at the portal
   Of the opening year,
Words of comfort meet us,
    Hushing every fear;
Spoken through the silence
    By our Father’s voice,
Tender, strong, and faithful,
    Making us rejoice.
 
    Onward then, and fear not,
        Children of the day!
    For His Word shall never,
        Never pass away!
 
2  ‘I, the Lord, am with thee,
    Be thou not afraid,
I will help and strengthen,
    Be thou not dismayed!
Yea, I will uphold thee
    With My own right hand;
Thou art called and chosen
    In My sight to stand.’
 
3  For the year before us,
    O what rich supplies!
For the poor and needy
    Living streams shall rise;
For the sad and sinful
    Shall His grace abound;
For the faint and feeble
    Perfect strength be found.
 
4  He will never fail us,
    He will not forsake;
His eternal covenant
    He will never break.
Resting on His promise,
    What have we to fear?
God is all-sufficient
    For the coming year.
 
Frances Ridley Havergal, 1836-79