O God, before whose altar The stars like tapers burn, At whose inscrutable decree The planets wheel and turn, Though earth and sea and heaven Unite thy praise to sing, Man in his weakness yet may give A worthier offering. Those who gave up life's bounty To serve a race to be, Whose bones lie white along the trail Which leads the world to thee; Those who when fears beset them Stand fast and fight and die, Their unconsidered lives go up Like incense to the sky. All those oppressed or lonely Or long at strife with pain, Who face the darkness undismayed And turn their loss to gain, Those who with love and meekness Outlast the years of wrong, Their silent courage pleads to heaven More eloquent than song. O Lord, be ours the glory Beyond all earthly fame, Like those to conquer for thy sake Despair and doubt and shame; Till through a world made noble, Through lands from sin set free, The armies of the living God Shall march to victory.
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