The God of Comfort

I have been through the valley of weeping,
   The valley of sorrow and pain;
But the God of all comfort was with me,
At hand to uphold and sustain.

As the earth needs the clouds and the sunshine
   Our souls need both sorrow and joy,
So He places us oft in the furnace,
   The dross from the gold to destroy.

When He leads through some valley of trouble
   His omnipotent hand we can trace;
For the trials and sorrows He sends us
   Are part of His lessons of Grace.

Oft we shrink from the purging and pruning,
   Forgetting the husbandman knows
That the deeper the cutting and paring
   The richer the cluster that grows.

Well He knows that affliction is needed,
   He has a wise purpose in view;
And in the dark valley He whispers,
   "Hereafter thou shalt know what I do."

As we travel through life's shadowed valley,
   Fresh springs of His love ever rise,
And we learn that our sorrow and losses
   Are blessings just sent in disguise.

So we'll follow wherever He leads us,
   Let the path be dreary or bright,
For we've proved that our God can give comfort,
   Our God can give songs in the night.