Prayer for our Children

Bestow, dear Lord, upon our young,

The gift of saving grace;

And let the seed of sacred truth

Fall in a fruitful place.

Grace is a plant, wherever it grows,

Of pure and heavenly root;

But fairest in the youngest shows,

And yields the sweetest fruit.

You careless ones, oh hear betimes

The voice of sovereign love;

Your youth is stained with many crimes,

But mercy reigns above.

True, you are the young, but there’s a stone

Within the youngest breast,

Or half the crimes which you have done,

Would rob you of your rest.

For you our public prayer is made,

Oh, join our public prayer!

For you the sacred tear is shed,

Oh, shed yourselves a tear!

We pray that you may early prove

The Spirit’s power to teach;

You cannot be too young to love

That Jesus whom we preach.

Adapted from John Newton’s “Prayer for Youth”