Scripture Verse

I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord. John 1:23

Introduction

portrait
James L. Milligan
1876–1961

Words: James L. Mil­li­gan, 1925.

Music: Hereford (Heins) Fran­cis D. Heins (1878–1949) (🔊 pdf nwc).

If you know when the mu­sic was writ­ten,

portrait
Francis D. Heins
1878–1949

Origin of the Hymn

I wrote the hymn at the time of the con­sum­ma­tion of the un­ion of the Pres­by­te­ri­an, Me­tho­dist and Con­gre­ga­tion­al church­es [in 1925], which now form the Unit­ed Church of Ca­na­da. I was Di­rect­or of Pub­li­ci­ty dur­ing the three years’ cam­paign pri­or to the Un­ion.

Lyrics

There’s a voice in the wilderness crying,
A call from the ways untrod:
Prepare in the desert a highway,
A highway for our God!
The valleys shall be exalted,
The lofty hills brought low;
Make straight all the crooked places,
Where the Lord our God may go!

O Zion, that bringest good tidings,
Get thee up to the heights and sing!
Proclaim to a desolate people
The coming of their king.
Like the flowers of the field they perish,
The works of men decay,
The power and pomp of nations
Shall pass like a dream away.

But the word of our God endureth,
The arm of the Lord is strong;
He stands in the midst of nations,
And He will right the wrong.
He shall feed His flock like a shepherd,
And fold the lambs to His breast;
In pastures of peace He’ll lead them,
And give to the weary rest.

There’s a voice in the wilderness crying,
A call from the ways untrod:
Prepare in the desert a highway,
A highway for our God!
The valleys shall be exalted,
The lofty hills brought low;
Make straight all the crooked places,
Where the Lord our God may go!