He Doeth All Things Well

I hoped that with the brave and strong
   My portioned task might lie;
To toil amid the busy throng
   With purpose pure and high;
But God has fixed another part,
   And He has fixed it well;
I said so with my breaking heart,
   When first this anguish fell.

These weary hours will not be lost,
   These days of misery,
These nights of darkness, tempest-tost--
   Can I but turn to Thee;
With secret labor to sustain
   In patience every blow,
To gather fortitude from pain,
   And holiness from woe.

If Thou shouldst bring me back to life,
   More humble I should be,
More wise, more strengthened for the strife,
   More apt to lean on Thee;
Should death be standing at the gate,
   Thus should I keep my vow,
But, Lord! whatever be my fate,
   Oh, let me serve Thee now!
                        Anne Bronte