Scripture Verse

Make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Isaiah 40:3

Introduction

portrait
George W. Warren (1828–1902)

Words: Lau­ra S. Cop­en­ha­ver, 1915.

Music: Na­tion­al Hymn George W. War­ren, 1888 (🔊 pdf nwc).

Alternate Tunes:

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Laura S. Copenhaver (1868–1940)

Origin of the Hymn

In writ­ing Her­alds of Christ for one of the Sum­mer Con­fer­ences at which I used to lecture, I was moved with a deep sense of uni­ty with the build­ers of the King’s High­way in far lands, next door to me in Am­er­ica, and ev­en with those great ones I had known as a child now gone one with the im­mor­tals by way of Af­ri­ca and In­dia…

Today in ev­ery land Chris­tians are unit­ing to build a King­dom which shall have no geo­graph­ic­al bounds, no li­mi­ta­tions of race, no bar­ri­ers of caste or class.

Lyrics

Heralds of Christ, who bear the King’s com­mands,
Immortal tid­ings in your mor­tal hands,
Pass on and car­ry swift the news you bring;
Make straight, make straight
The high­way of the King.

Through de­sert ways, dark fen and deep mo­rass,
Through jun­gles, slug­gish seas, and mount­ain pass,
Build now the road, and fal­ter not, nor stay;
Prepare across the earth the King’s high­way.

Where once the twist­ing trail in dark­ness wound,
Let march­ing feet and joy­ous song re­sound,
Where burn the fu­ne­ral pyres, and cen­sers swing,
Make straight, make straight
The high­way of the King.

Lord, give us faith and strength the road to build,
To see the pro­mise of the day ful­filled,
When war shall be no more, and strife shall cease
Upon the high­way of the Prince of Peace.