Words: (1868-1953). In 1928, this hymn won the Hymn So­ci­e­ty of Amer­i­ca’s mis­sion­ary hymn com­pe­ti­tion.

Music: Ames­bu­ry, , 1895. Al­ter­nate tune:

  • Forest Green, tra­di­tion­al Eng­lish mel­o­dy; ar­ranged by , 1906

Eternal God, whose power upholds
Both flower and flaming star,
To Whom there is no here nor there,
No time, no near nor far,
No alien race, no foreign shore,
No child unsought, unknown,
O send us forth, Thy prophets true,
To make all lands Thine own!

O God of love, whose Spirit wakes
In every human breast,
Whom love, and love alone can know,
In Whom all hearts find rest,
Help us to spread Thy gracious reign
Till greed and hate shall cease,
And kindness dwell in human hearts,
And all the earth find peace!

O God of truth, whom science seeks
And reverent souls adore,
Who lightest every earnest mind
Of every clime and shore,
Dispel the gloom of error’s night,
Of ignorance and fear,
Until true wisdom from above
Shall make life’s pathway clear!

O God of beauty, oft revealed
In dreams of human art,
In speech that flows to melody,
In holiness of heart,
Teach us to ban all ugliness
That blinds our eyes to Thee,
Till all shall know the loveliness
Of lives made fair and free.

O God of righteousness and grace,
Seen in the Christ, Thy Son,
Whose life and death reveal Thy face,
By Whom Thy will was done.
Inspire Thy heralds of good news
To live Thy life divine,
Till Christ has formed in all mankind
And every land is Thine!