Hymn

Friend of the Friendless

Metre 8.8.8.8

God of my life, to Thee I call;

Afflicted, at Thy feet I fall:

When the great water-floods prevail,

Leave not my trembling heart to fail.

Friend of the friendless and the faint,

Where should I lodge my deep complaint?

Where but with Thee, whose open door

Invites the helpless and the poor?

Did ever mourner plead with Thee,

And Thou refuse that mourner’s plea?

Does not the word still fixed remain,

That none shall seek Thy face in vain?

That were a grief I could not bear,

Didst Thou not hear and answer prayer;

But a prayer-hearing, answering God

Supports me under every load.

Fair is the lot that’s cast for me;

I have an Advocate with Thee;

They whom the world caresses most

Have no such privilege to boast.

Poor thou I be, despised, forgot,

Yet God, my God, forgets me not;

And he is safe, and must succeed,

For whom the Lord Himself does plead.

Friend of the Friendless — Text from Evangelical Lutheran Hymn-book, 1918. Public domain. https://yeshuanow.com/hymns/friend-of-the-friendless

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Questions about this hymn

Who wrote Friend of the Friendless?

The words of Friend of the Friendless were written by William Cowper; the version here was published in 1918. The library holds 16 more hymns by William Cowper, including Sometimes a light surprises and Welcome Cross.

Is Friend of the Friendless public domain?

Yes. The words here are taken from Evangelical Lutheran Hymn-book, published in 1918. Works published before 1931 are out of copyright in the United States, so you can print, project, perform and record this hymn freely. How we source and check every hymn.

What is the metre of Friend of the Friendless?

Friend of the Friendless is in Long Metre (8.8.8.8). Hymns in the same metre can usually be sung to the same tunes — for example, Love and Joy, The Heavens Declare Thy Glory, Lord and Blessing God for His Goodness to Soul and Body.