Lord of All Hopefulness

Lord of All Hopefulness
Lord of all hopefulness, Lord of all joy,
whose trust, ever childlike, no cares could destroy,
be there at our waking, and give us, we pray,
your bliss in our hearts, Lord, at the break of the day.

Lord of all eagerness, Lord of all faith,
whose strong hands were skilled at the plane and the lathe,
be there at our labours, and give us, we pray.
your strength in our hearts, Lord, at the noon of the day.

Lord of all kindliness, Lord of all grace,
your hands swift to welcome, your arms to embrace,
be there at our homing, and give us, we pray,
your love in our hearts, Lord, at the eve of the day.

Lord of all gentleness, Lord of all calm,
whose voice is contentment, whose presence is balm,
be there at our sleeping, and give us, we pray.
your peace in our hearts, Lord, at the end of the day.

Lord Of All Hopefulness is a hymn written by Jan Struther which was published in the enlarged edition of "Songs of Praise" [cite web |url=http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/struther/hymns/hymns.html |title= A Celebration of Women Writers |accessdate=2007-07-31 |work= Digital Library Projects at the University of Pennsylvania] (Oxford Press) in 1931, the hymn is used in liturgy, at weddings and at the beginning of funeral services.

It is set to the melody of the Irish folksong, Slane, which is also the melody of another well-known hymn, Be Thou My Vision.

External links

*http://www.oremus.org/hymnal/l/l375.html
*http://www.weddingguideuk.com/articles/wordsmusic/hymns/Hymn-LordOfAllHopefulness.asp