James Montgomery, (1771 – 1854) was the son of Moravian parents who died on a West Indies mission field while he was in boarding school. Montgomery inherited a strong religious bent, a passion for missions, and an independent mind. One to speak his mind in person and in print, he was often troubled by the authorities of his day, and spent a short time in prison for something he wrote.

Montgomery wrote roughly 400 hymns including his versions of the Psalms. Of these 400, more than 100 are still in common use. Some of his lyrics are well-known, including “Angels from the Realms of Glory,” “Go to Dark Gethsemane,” and “Hail to the Lord’s Anointed.”

Here are the lyrics to a short hymn written in his younger days, one that carries a most practical message touching on abiding daily in our God by virtue of our union with Him.

Come to the Morning Prayer

Come to the morning prayer,
Come let us kneel and pray;
Prayer is the Christian pilgrim’s staff
To walk with God all day.

At noon, beneath the Rock
Of Ages, rest and pray;
Sweet is that shadow from the heat,
When the sun smites by day.

At eve, shut to the door,
Round the home-altar pray,
And finding there “the Indwelling God,”
At “heaven’s Throne” close the day.

When midnight seals our eyes,
Let each in spirit say,
“I sleep, but my heart waketh, Lord,
With Thee to watch and pray.”

Image via author, unnamed lake, Wallowa Mountains, Oregon