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Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal · No. 488 · Words: Adelaide Anne Procter
At First I Prayed for Light
Create PowerPoint slides from this hymn →A reflective Victorian hymn tracing the soul's progression from praying for outward light and strength to seeking inward faith and trust in God. Written by English poet Adelaide Anne Procter and published in her collection 'Legends and Lyrics' (1858).
Verse 1
At first I prayed for light:
Could I but see the way,
How gladly, swiftly would I walk
To everlasting day!
Verse 2
And next I prayed for strength:
That I might tread the road
With firm, unfaltering feet, and win
The heaven's serene abode.
Verse 3
And then I asked for faith:
Could I but trust my God,
I'd live infolded in His peace,
Though foes were all abroad.
Verse 4
But now I pray for love:
Deep love to God and man;
A living love that will not fail,
However dark His plan.
Verse 5
And light and strength and faith
Are opening everywhere!
God waited patiently until
I prayed the larger prayer.
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