Hymn
A prayer for Ministers
Words: Beddome, Benjamin, 1717-1795
Father of mercies, bow thine ear Attentive to our earnest prayer; We plead for those who plead for thee, Successful pleaders may they be!
How great their work, how vast their charge. Do thou their anxious souls enlarge, Their best acquirements are our gain, We share the blessings they obtain.
Clothe them with Energy divine, Their words, and let their words be thine To them thy sacred truth reveal, Suppress their fear, inflame their zeal.
Teach them to sow the precious seed, Teach them thy chosen flock to feed; Teach them immortal souls to gain, Souls which will well reward their pain.
Let thronging multitudes around, Hear from their lips the joyful sound; In humble strains thy grace implore, And feel thy new-creating power.
Let sinners break their massy chains, Distressed souls forget their pains; Let light thro' distant realms be spread, And Zion rear her drooping head.
Public domain · as printed in A Selection of Psalms and Hymns: done under the appointment of the Philadelphian Association, 1790 · text courtesy of Hymnary.org. Wording may differ slightly from your hymn book.