Hymns by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette

A hymn for famine relief

A hymn for famine relief
O God, You Love the Needy
LLANGLOFFAN (7.6.7.6 D)
("Lead On, O King Eternal"; "Rejoice, Rejoice, Believers")

O God, you love the needy and care for all the poor!
Today our hearts are heavy with news of drought and war.
When plantings yield no harvest, when hungry people die,
When families flee, defenseless — Lord, hear your people's cry!

To us they seem so distant; their grief is far away.
Yet you, O Lord, are present and know their needs this day.
You call us to weep with them in all they journey through —
To reach our hands out to them, for they are loved by you.

O God, in Christ you teach us that love means sacrifice;
May we give what is precious so others will have life.
Now bless these gifts we're bringing for neighbors who are poor,
Till mourning turns to singing and famine is no more.

Biblical References: Isaiah 25:4; Exodus 3:7; Romans 12:15; Matthew 16:24-26; Isaiah 65:17-25; Luke 13:29-30; Luke 14:12-14
Tune: Traditional Welsh melody, from Daniel Evans' Hymnau a Thonau (Hymns and Tunes), 1865 ("Lead On, O King Eternal"; "Rejoice, Rejoice, Believers")
Text: Copyright © 2011 by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette. All rights reserved.
Email: bcgillette@comcast.net     New Hymns: www.carolynshymns.com/

Permission is given for use of this hymn for local church use. Please make a contribution to your denomination's relief organization or an ecumenical one like Church World Service.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs provides information concerning the situation in the Horn of Africa.

Hold the people living in the Horn of Africa in prayer.

See Stewardship Hymns for a list of other helpful hymns with stewardship themes.