How long, O Lord, most holy and true

Top Text Author Text Info Tune Timeline Page Scans Instances

How long, O Lord, most holy and true

Author: John A. Widtsoe
Tune: [How long, O Lord most holy and true]
Published in 3 hymnals

Representative Text

1. How long, O Lord most holy and true,
Shall shadowed hope our joy delay?
Our hearts confess, our souls believe
Thy truth, thy truth, thy light, thy will, thy way!

2. Thy truth has made our prison bright;
Thy light has dimmed the dying past.
We bend beneath thy loving will
And seek thy onward, onward path at last.

3. Eternal Father, gentle Judge!
Speed on the day, redemption’s hour.
Set up thy kingdom; from thy house
Unlock for us, for us the prison tow’r.

4. From grim confusion’s awful depth
The wail of hosts, faith’s urgent plea:
Release our anguished, weary souls;
Swing wide, swing wide the gates, and set us free!

Source: Hymns of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints #126

All representative texts • Compare texts ^ top

Author: John A. Widtsoe

John A. Widtsoe, John Andreas Widtsoe, 31 January 1872 - 29 November 1952; member Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1921 until his death; noted author, scientist, and academician; born on Freya island, Norway; moved to Namsos, Norway in 1874; emigrated to United States, Utah Territory in 1883; graduated Brigham Young College in Logan, Utah; graduated Harvard University in 1894; head, agricultural experiment station at Utah State Agricultural College; taught farming skills; 1898 attended University of GoÌˆttingen, Germany and obtained an A.M. and Ph.D. in 1899; part of time in Europe lived in Switzerland; 1900 became the director Agricultural Experiment Station in what is now Utah State U… Go to person page >

^ top