Poem October 20, 1934 Issue

The Oil of Joy

GERTRUDE DEANE HOUK

In Thee, O God, abides eternal gladness,
The oil of joy for mourning, grief, and care;
True beauty for the ashes of earth's sadness,
The garment of Thy praise for dull despair.

For sorrow Thou hast rest and consolation,
Regret finds solace and new hope appears;
The desert places blossom: restoration
Reclaims the promise of the vanished years.

There is no loss, since Love has compensaton
For all affliction, weariness, and pain;
And every soul in seeming desolation
May prove the truth that loss indeed is gain.

There is no death, for Thou art Life eternal,
No separation and no severed ties;
No anguish, since in Thee is joy supernal—
The dream of mortal sense is all that dies.

Each dawning day brings confident assurance
That God is good—and good alone is power;
And from Love's source of infinite abundance
Joy flows full measure, filling every hour.

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