What shall we ask of God in prayer? J. Montgomery. [Prayer.] Written in 1818, and first printed on a broadsheet with Montgomery's "Prayer is the soul's sincere desire," "Lord, teach us how to pray," and "Thou, God, art a consuming fire," for use in the Nonconformist Sunday schools in Sheffield and the neighbourhood. It was included in Cotterill's Selection, 1819, No. 281, in 4 stanzas of 8 lines, and headed, "Ask and ye shall receive that your joy may be full." In Montgomery's Christian Psalmist, 1825, No. 483, and in his Original Hymns, 1853, No. 64, it was given with the change, in stanza iv., l.1 of "with" to “by”, and in 8 stanzas of 4 lines. It is usually given in an abbreviated form. In some American hymn-books a cento from this hymn is given as “Father of all our mercies, Thou."
--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)
James Montgomery (b. Irvine, Ayrshire, Scotland, 1771; d. Sheffield, Yorkshire, England, 1854), the son of Moravian parents who died on a West Indies mission field while he was in boarding school, Montgomery inherited a strong religious bent, a passion for missions, and an independent mind. He was editor of the Sheffield Iris (1796-1827), a newspaper that sometimes espoused radical causes. Montgomery was imprisoned briefly when he printed a song that celebrated the fall of the Bastille and again when he described a riot in Sheffield that reflected unfavorably on a military commander. He also protested against slavery, the lot of boy chimney sweeps, and lotteries. Associated with Christians of various persuasions, Montgomery supported missio… Go to person page >
My Starred Hymns
My FlexScores
My Hymnals
My Purchased Files