Pray When the Morn Is Breaking

Pray when the morn is breaking,
Pray when the noon is bright,
Pray with the eve’s declining,
Pray in the hush of night:
With mind made pure of passion,
All meaner thoughts away,
Low in thy chamber kneeling,
Do thou in secret pray.

Remember all who love thee,
All who are loved by thee,
And next for those that hate thee
Pray thou, if such there be;
Last for thyself in meekness
A blessing humbly claim,
And link with each petition
Thy great Redeemer’s Name.

But if ’tis e’er denied thee
In solitude to pray,
Should holy thoughts come o’er thee
Upon life’s crowded way,
E’en then the silent breathing
That lifts thy soul above
Shall reach the thronèd presence
Of Mercy, Truth, and Love.

Author: Jane C. Simpson

Year: 1831

Also known as Jane Cross Simpson or J. C. Simpson; the hymn first appeared in The Christian Observer in 1831 under the title 'Prayer.' Some sources attribute it to 'Mrs. Simpson of Greenock' or list minor variants in later hymnals.