In Prayer Your Voices Raise Ye

In pray­er your voic­es raise ye

To God

and Him now praise ye

Who to our life from Heav­en

All need­ed strength hath giv­en.

The stream of years is flow­ing

And we are on­ward go­ing

From old to new sur­viv­ing

And by His mer­cy thriv­ing.

In woe we oft­en lang­uish

And pass through times of ang­uish

When fear­ful war ab­ound­eth

That earth it­self sur­round­eth.

As faith­ful mo­ther keep­eth

Guard while her in­fant sleep­eth

And all its grief as­suag­eth

When an­gry tem­pest rag­eth;

So God His child­ren shield­eth

Them full pro­tect­ion yield­eth;

When need and woe dis­tress them

His lov­ing arms ca­ress them.

In vain is all our do­ing

The la­bor we’re pur­su­ing

In our hands pros­pers nev­er

Unless God watch­eth ev­er.

Our song to Thee as­cend­eth

Who ev­ery day de­fend­eth

Us

and whose arm avert­eth

The pain our hearts that hurt­eth.

O God of mer­cy! hear us;

Our Fa­ther! be Thou near us;

’Mid cross­es and in sad­ness

Be Thou our spring of glad­ness.

To me and all be giv­en

Who from the heart have striv­en

To gain Thy be­ne­dict­ion

Hearts pa­tient in af­flict­ion.

Oh! close the gates of sor­row

And by a glo­ri­ous mor­row

Of peace

may places sad­dened

By blood­shed dire be glad­dened.

With rich­est bless­ings crown us

In all our ways

Lord! own us;

Give grace

who grace be­stow­est

To all

e’en to the low­est.

Of all for­lorn be Fa­ther

All err­ing ones in­ga­ther

And of the poor and nee­dy

Be Thou the suc­cor spee­dy.

Grace show to all af­flict­ed

And to all souls de­ject­ed

By mel­an­cho­ly haunt­ed

May happy thoughts be grant­ed.

All earth­ly gifts excel­ling

The Ho­ly Ghost in­dwel­ling

Give us to make us glo­ri­ous

And lead to Thee vic­tor­ious.

All this Thy hand be­stow­eth

Thou Life! whence our life flow­eth

Thus Thou Thy peo­ple meet­est

With New Year’s bless­ing greet­est.