Whenever the heart is aching
And the days are thick with care;
Whenever the worry and trouble
Seem more than my soul can bear;
Whenever it’s dark and dreary,
And the way seems rough before,
Turn to one of the sweet old chapters
Where the dew and the sun are sweet,
And the blossoms of peace and comfort
Seem springing around the feet.
Whenever the bitter battle
Is more than I’ve strength to fight,
Oh, one of the sweet old chapters
Will soon give back my might;
And I’ll rise and lift the banner,
And go forth brave again
For my part in the daily struggle
Of men in a world of men.
One of the sweet old chapters,
Read it, and feel its gleam,
As you bask in it’s tender beauty
And walk in its lovely dream.
Never a downcast spirit
That cannot rise and go
When the words of a sweet old chapter
From the Holy Scriptures flow;
And the glory of God’s great Heaven,
And the streets of Heavenly way,
Stretch forth thro’ the dreary shadows
That cloaked you and kept you gray.
The voice of a tender message,
The word of a higher trust,
How the sound of a sweet old chapter
Can lift us from the dust.
Whenever the feet are aching
That have marched their many miles,
Thro’ the light of a sweet old chapter
A valley of beauty smiles;
And the flowers are blooming gaily,
And the birds sing in the trees,
And you walk in the peaceful pastures
With the green grass to your knees.
The sunshine follows the shadows,
And the sweet hills lift their crest,
And each word of the sweet old chapter
Is a sound that lulls to rest.
I feel the touch of that healing,
That boon and that gift of love,
When I read in a sweet old chapter
Of the mansions that shine above;
And my shoulders rise from their burden
And my heart forgets its care,
For the dews of God are about me,
And the sweet and pleasant air.
The words of a sweet old chapter,
Ah, wonderful cure are they,
For the pain of the weary spirit
And the cares that infest the day!
—Baltimore Sun