God, Who Made the Earth and Heaven

God, Who Made the Earth and Heaven; Text By Reginald Heber
Meter: 8.4.8.4.8.8.8.4

1. God, that madest earth and heaven,
Darkness and light:
Thou the day for work hast given,
For rest the night.
May thine angel guards defend us,
Slumber sweet thy mercy send us,
Holy dreams and hopes attend us
All through the night.

2. And when morn again shall call us
To run life’s way,
May we still, whatever befall us,
Your will obey.
From the power of evil hide us,
In the narrow pathway guide us,
Never be your smile denied us
All through the day.

3. Guard us waking, guard us sleeping,
And when we die,
May we in thy mighty keeping
All peaceful lie.
When the last dread call shall wake us,
Then, O Lord, do not forsake us,
But to reign in glory take us
With thee on high.

4. Holy Father, throned in heaven,
All Holy Son,
Holy Spirit, freely given,
Blest Three in One:
Grant us grace, we now implore thee,
Till we lay our crowns before thee
And in worthier strains adore thee
While ages run.

The author of this hymn, Reginald Heber, was born in 1783 in England and died in India in 1826. He wrote 57 hymns, many of which are still in use. The best known probably are “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty” and “From Greenland’s icy mountains.” Listen to God, Who Made the Earth and Heaven sung by a choir at Kettle Falls, Washington, in 2011. The meter is somewhat unusual, so not that many tunes correspond to it.