Thou Tender, Gracious Father

Thou ten­der

gra­cious Fa­ther

Who watch­es ov­er me

How shall I ev­er praise Thee

How love and hon­or Thee?

Thou guid­est me with cau­tion

From ev­ery sec­ret snare

And ’neath Thy wings a re­fuge

I find in my des­pair.

With rai­ment

food and shel­ter

Whate’er my needs im­ply

For soul and bo­dy ev­er

Do Thou in grace sup­ply.

O Lord

I soon would per­ish

If aught Thou should ex­clude;

O could I love Thee bet­ter

And prove my gra­ti­tude.

In child­like

true obe­di­ence

Help me to do the right;

May pre­cious be Thy sta­tutes

Thy yoke be plea­sant light!

And when some hard­ship threat­ens

A dan­ger fright­ens me

May Thou in all my tri­als

My pre­sent help­er be.

Thy heart is all com­pas­sion

With love it ov­er­flows;

Whate’er of ill be­tide me

Thou know­est

and my woes.

Thou dost not sleep nor slum­ber

By night nor thru the days;

Thine arms

al­mig­hty Fa­ther

Enfold all time and space.