O Master of the Waking World

O Master of the waking world,
Who hast the nations in Thy heart,
The heart that bled and broke to send
God’s love to earth’s remotest part:
Show us anew in Calvary
The wondrous power that makes us free.

On every side the walls are down,
The gates swing wide to every land,
The restless tribes and races feel
The pressure of Thy piercèd hand;
Thy way is in the sea and air,
Thy world is open everywhere.

We hear the throb of surging life,
The clank of chains, the curse of greed,
The moan of pain, the futile cries
Of superstition’s cruel creed;
The peoples hunger for Thee, Lord,
The isles are waiting for Thy Word.

Thy witness in the souls of men,
Thy Spirit’s ceaseless, brooding power,
In lands where shadows hide the light,
Await a new creative hour:
O mighty God, set us aflame
To show the glory of Thy Name.