The Amana Church Hymnal ‎#58

58. Teach Us, O Father

1 Teach us, O Father, Thine own pray'r to pray.
As Thy true children, great and small, we come.
In rev'rence humbly do we seek Thy way
And tarry till at last our wish is won.
Thy words of comfort longingly we seek
Till "Yea, My child, well done," we hear thee speak.

2 Poor children here below on earth are we;
Thou sittest high on Heaven's throne above.
O, would that citizens of Heav'n we be
Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Incarnate Love;
Who as High Priest has taught us how to pray,
That we be heard and find Thy perfect way.

3 A holy, holy spirit, Lord, Thou art,
Immortal, and eternally our King.
And though still so imperfect when we part,
With all our might to earthly life we cling.
Yet like all mortals we shall turn to dust
Like leaves of spring to autumn's brown and rust.

4 Lord, sanctify Thy holy name in us
To Thy eternal glory and Thy praise.
Accept us as Thy seed for we are thus.
Though wretched, still our joyful song we raise
To magnify Thy holy name on earth
And find in Thee a new life through rebirth.

5 Prepare us here on earth as Heaven's heirs
And grant us entrance to Thy kingdom, Lord.
In Thy great mercy banish all our cares;
Help us prepare the way to our reward.
Lord Jesus, give us strength to persevere,
Forsake this life on earth which we hold dear.

6 O, may Thy kingdom come to earth below!
The realm of darkness Thou canst still destroy!
Not yet have we been captive of the foe--
Assure us of Thy kingdom and its joy.
Accept us wretched children, Lord, we pray,
For Thy Son Jesus has prepared the way.

7 O Lord, Thy will on earth in us be done,
Thy will that is so holy and so good,
And may our self-will ever then be gone.
Cast into hell the vipers and their brood.
Thy will, O God, has ever good thing wrought
While self-will has to us our downfall brought.

8 O Heav'nly Father, Thy will must be done:
Thus came redemption for all, far and wide.
Gethsemane was where our souls were won.
"Tis done!" on Golgatha for us He cried.
Through one called Adam hast Thou wrought Thy will;
Therefore in us obedience instill.

9 O Love so pure, Thou hast for us redeemed
A paradise lost through our willfulness;
Restored to us our grace just when it seemed
That we were ever doomed to sore distress.
'Tis blind self-will leads many souls amiss
To stand before the cavernous abyss.

10. That which Thou dost not want shall not occur.
Teach me, O Father, how best I might pray,
With thoughts and words such as Thou dost prefer;
For self-will cloaks and hides the rightful way.
'Twas through self-will, through naked wantonness
That I fell into pain and such distress.

11 Lord, Jesus, True Provider for the soul
Of those poor sinners who do thirst for Thee:
Despair nor death shall keep me from my goal
That someday I Thy loving child might be
And co-heir to my Father's kingdom fair.
Thy intercession then shall lead me there.

12 O let thy manna be our sustenance,
As we through life's lone desert wend our way.
Grant us the gift of Thine inheritance,
That we with Thee in Heav'n may dwell one day.
Grant us the strength, life's battles to withstand,
Through service let us win the promised land.

13 Lord Father, ponder not our earthly sin
That plagues our conscience, causing us great pain.
Forebearance and forgiveness enter in!
And let not our life's struggles be in vain!
List' to the cry of Thy Lamb's holy blood
When our vain pride begins to swell and bud.

14 For Thy Son's sake Almighty Lord, our God,
Let grace reign o'er us now and evermore.
With measured step to Golgatha He trod,
For our salvation's sake the cross He bore.
Thy blood, Thy sweat, Thy tears for us didst shed,
Won Paradise for us, most Sacred Head.

15 Deliver us from world woes, O Lord,
Which plague us here on earth by night and day.
For us Thou canst provide both shield and sword
With which to win the true and rightful way.
We pray, O Lord, with all our heart and soul:
Deliver us from pain and make us whole.

16 Thou everlasting and eternal Lord,
Whose reign o'er all shall never cease to be:
Thy strength and power and Thy mighty word
Live on through time, yea through eternity.
Thine is the kingdom, glory, and the pow'r.
Be with us now and through each passing hour.

Text Information

• First Line: Teach us, O Father, thine own prayer to pray
• Title: Teach Us, O Father
• Original Language: German
• Author: Christian Metz
• Alterer: Lawrence L. Rettig
• Language: English
• Publication Date: 1992

Tune Information

(No tune information)