A Last Prayer

Father, I scarcely dare to pray,
So clear I see, now it is done,
How I have wasted half my day,
And left my work but just begun.
So clear I see that things I thought
Were right or harmless were a sin;
So clear I see that I have sought,
Unconscious, selfish aims to win.

So clear I see that I have hurt
The souls I might have helped to save;
That I have slothful been, inert,
Deaf to the calls Thy leaders gave.
In outskirts of Thy kingdoms vast
Father, the humblest spot give me;
Set me the lowliest task Thou hast,
Let me repentant work for Thee.

Author: Mary Artemisia Lathbury

Year: 1877

Commonly attributed to Mary A. Lathbury (also known for 'Break Thou the Bread of Life' and 'Day is Dying in the West'). The poem appeared in her 1877 collection and was later set to music as a hymn. Some hymnals list it anonymously or under variant titles, but Lathbury is the predominant attribution.