Father, hear us, we are praying
Hear the words our hearts are saying
We are praying for our children.
Keep them from the powers of evil
From the secret hidden peril,
From the whirlpool that would suck them,
From the treacherous quicksand pluck them
Holy Father, save our children.
From the worldlings’ hollow gladness,
From the sting of faithless sadness,
Through life’s troubled waters steer them,
Through life’s bitter battle cheer them,
Father, Father, be Thou near them.
Read the language of our longing,
Read the wordless pleadings thronging,
Holy Father, for our children.
And wherever they may bide,
Lead them home at eventide.
— Amy Carmichael, Missionary to India