by John Greenleaf Whittier
All as God wills, who wisely heeds
To give or to withhold,
And knoweth more of all my needs,
Than all my prayers have told.
Enough that blessings undeserved
Have marked my erring track;
That, wheresoe’er my feet have swerved,
His chastening turned me back;
That more and more a providence
Of love is understood,
Making the springs of time and sense
Sweet with eternal good.
I know not what the future hath
Of marvel or surprise
Content alone, that life or death
His mercy underlies.
I know not where his islands lift
Their fronded palms in air.
I only know, I cannot drift
Beyond his love and care.
Written around 1859 and published in that year