FAITH

I will not doubt, though all my ships at sea
   Come drifting home with broken masts and sails;
   I shall believe the Hand which never fails,
From seeming evil worketh good to me;
   And, though I weep because those sails are battered,
   Still will I cry, while my best hopes lie shattered,
          "I trust in Thee."

I will not doubt, though all my prayers return
   Unanswered from the still, white realm above;
   I shall believe it is an all-wise Love
Which has refused those things for which I yearn;
   And though, at times, I cannot keep from grieving,
   Yet the pure ardor of my fixed believing
          Undimmed shall burn.

I will not doubt, though sorrows fall like rain,
   And troubles swarm like bees about a hive;
   I shall believe the heights for which I strive,
Are only reached by anguish and by pain;
   And, though I groan and tremble with my crosses,
   I yet shall see, through my severest losses,
          The greater gain.

I will not doubt; well anchored in the faith,
   Like some stanch ship, my soul braves every gale,
   So strong its courage that it will not fail
To breast the mighty, unknown sea of death.
   Oh, may I cry when body parts with spirit,
   "I do not doubt," so listening worlds may hear it
          With my last breath.

--Ella Wheeler Wilcox