STUDY / LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE / HYMNS

My trust is in my heav'nly Friend Psalm 7

Isaac Watts's setting of Psalm 7, printed in 1719 in The Psalms of David Imitated, where he set the psalms "in the language of the New Testament".

WRITTEN BY

Isaac Watts 1674–1748

PRINTED

1719 The Psalms of David Imitated · no. 7

METRE

Common Metre 8.6.8.6 · 9 stanzas

WRITTEN ON

Psalm 7 the verse printed above it

The hymn, and the Scripture in it

All 9 stanzas as Watts printed them, with the verses their lines echo beside them. Point at a line to join it to its verse; click to read the passage.

SHARED WORDSthe verse shares the line's wording ECHOproposed by an AI model, confirmed by a separate check Not the author's own notes

AMONG THE SCRIPTURES

The stanzas at the centre; around them, every book its heading and its echoes come from, Old Testament on the left and New on the right. Choose a stanza or a book.

a line echoes this verse its heading or an echo comes from here

STANZA I

My trust is in my heav'nly Friend

My trust is in my heav'nly Friend,

My hope in thee, my God;

Rise, and my helpless life defend

From those that seek my blood.

No line of this stanza quotes a verse closely; it is the hymn's own confession.

The psalm it sets

Watts made this hymn from Psalm 7, "in the language of the New Testament": a paraphrase, not a translation. The line that comes closest to it is marked.

1O LORD my God, I take refuge in You; save me and deliver me from all my pursuers, 2or they will shred my soul like a lion and tear me to pieces with no one to rescue me. 3O LORD my God, if I have done this, if injustice is on my hands, 4if I have rewarded my ally with evil, if I have plundered my foe without cause, … 13 more verses PSALM 7 · ITS FIRST VERSES · BEREAN STANDARD BIBLE READ PSALM 7

My trust is in my heav'nly Friend, My hope in thee, my God; Rise, and my helpless life defend From those that seek my blood. STANZA I

Its place in the book

Watts's psalms run from Psalm 1 to Psalm 150, several settings to many psalms: 367 hymns. This is number 7. Point at a tick to see the hymn; click it to open that hymn.

NO. 7 · ISAAC WATTS · THIS HYMN My trust is in my heav'nly Friend

Rooted in Scripture. Open for discovery.

A place to read slowly, ask deeply, and follow the connections. Scripture, study and the voices of Christian history, brought together for a lifetime of learning.

SPEND TIME IN THE WORD

  • Open the reader
  • Books & reading progress
  • Compare Scripture editions
  • Find a passage

FOLLOW YOUR QUESTIONS

  • Study collections
  • People & places
  • Faith & apologetics
  • Stories of faith

A library with a paper trail.

Meet the authors. Explore the collection. Trace each work to its source.

Download the code.

Open source on GitHub.