1. O God, on whom the nations wait,
And kingdoms far away,
Who midst the Gentiles shall be great,
When all souls must obey:
2. Behold the lands where Satan reigns
Upon his cruel throne,
Who sit in darkness and in chains
And worship wood and stone.
3. Your ancient heritage behold,
And Abram’s faithful seed,
And lead them to the holy fold
Wherein your ransomed feed.
4. Far from the west bid hatred’s lot,
And unbelief and pride.
How long shall those who love you not
Your seamless coat divide?
5. How long will you forget the east,
Where first your truth was spread,
Where pilgrims once your name confessed,
And holy martyrs bled?
6. Lead sinners from the paths of sin,
Let scorners hear your voice,
And let all heritics come in,
And make your church rejoice!
7. We wait in faith, we wait in prayer
Until the happy morn
When you will come our flesh to share
And for our sakes be born.
8. To God, the mighty and the just,
Are praise and glory due,
To him in whom the nations trust,
And Holy Ghost, to you.
Source: Hymns and Devotions for Daily Worship #22b
John M. Neale's life is a study in contrasts: born into an evangelical home, he had sympathies toward Rome; in perpetual ill health, he was incredibly productive; of scholarly temperament, he devoted much time to improving social conditions in his area; often ignored or despised by his contemporaries, he is lauded today for his contributions to the church and hymnody. Neale's gifts came to expression early–he won the Seatonian prize for religious poetry eleven times while a student at Trinity College, Cambridge, England. He was ordained in the Church of England in 1842, but ill health and his strong support of the Oxford Movement kept him from ordinary parish ministry. So Neale spent the years between 1846 and 1866 as a warden of Sackvi… Go to person page >
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