Lyrics
1 FATHER of earth and sky,
Thy name we magnify:
O that earth and heaven might join,
Thy perfections to proclaim;
Praise the attributes divine,
Fear and love thy awful name!
2 When shall thy Spirit reign
In every heart of man?
Father, bring the kingdom near,
Honour thy triumphant Son;
God of heaven, on earth appear,
Fix with us thy glorious throne.
3 Thy good and holy will
Let all on earth fulfil;
Men with minds angelic vie,
Saints below with saints above,
Thee to praise and glorify,
Thee to serve with perfect love.
4 This day with this day's bread
Thy hungry children feed;
Fountain of all blessings, grant
Now the manna from above;
Now supply our bodies' want,
Now sustain our souls with love.
5 Our trespasses forgive:
And when absolved we live,
Thou our life of grace maintain;
Lest we from our God depart,
Lose thy pardoning grace again,
Grant us a forgiving heart.
6 In every fiery hour
Display thy guardian power;
Near in our temptation stay,
With sufficient strength defend;
Bring us through the evil day,
Make us faithful to the end.
7 Father, by right divine
Assert the kingdom thine;
Jesus, Power of God, subdue
Thy own universe to thee;
Spirit of grace and glory too,
Reign through all eternity.
Meaning & Inspiration
This hymn expands the Lords Prayer into seven stanzas of praise, petition, repentance, and hope. It begins by magnifying the Father and asking for heaven and earth to honor the divine name. Each following stanza develops a familiar petition: the coming kingdom, obedience to Gods will, daily bread, forgiveness, protection in temptation, deliverance from evil, and the final reign of Father, Son, and Spirit.
Matthew 6:9-13 is therefore not merely related to the hymn but supplies its governing order and language. The request for a forgiving heart applies the prayer for pardon to relationships, while the appeal for strength in a fiery hour recognizes human vulnerability under temptation. Hebrews 4:15-16 offers a fitting companion to that plea by presenting Christ as sympathetic to weakness and the throne of grace as a place to seek timely help. The hymn closes in Trinitarian worship, joining practical daily dependence to confidence in Gods eternal kingdom and sustaining grace.
Related Scripture
- Matthew 6:9-13 The hymn follows the petitions of the Lords Prayer from Gods name and kingdom through provision, forgiveness, and deliverance.
- Hebrews 4:15-16 The passage connects temptation and weakness with seeking mercy and timely grace.
- 1 Chronicles 29:11 David ascribes greatness, power, glory, and the kingdom to the Lord.