Scripture Verse

Take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?…for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Matthew 6:31–34

Introduction

portrait
William Gaskell (1805–1884)

Words: Will­iam Gas­kell, in A Book of Hymns for Pub­lic and Pri­vate De­vo­tion, ed­it­ed by Sam­uel Long­fel­low & Sam­uel John­son, 4th edi­tion (Bos­ton, Mas­sa­chu­setts: Tick­nor, Reed & Fields, 1849), num­ber 390.

Music: Bar­tow. Ano­ny­mous, in The Sab­bath Tune and Hymn Book (New York: Ma­son Bro­thers, 1859), page 97 (🔊 pdf nwc).

Lyrics

Our Fa­ther! through the com­ing year
We know not what shall be,
But we would leave with­out a fear
Its or­der­ing all to Thee.

It may be we shall toil in vain
For what the world holds fair,
And all its good we thought to gain
Deceive, and prove but care.

It may be it shall dark­ly blend
Our love with anx­ious fears
And snatch away the val­ued friend,
The tried of ma­ny years.

It may be it shall bring us days
And nights of ling­er­ing pain,
And bid us take our fare­well gaze
Of these loved haunts of men.

But calm­ly, Lord, on Thee we rest;
No fears our trust shall move;
Thou know­est what for each is best,
And Thou art per­fect love.