O Lord our God, Thy mighty hand

O Lord our God, Thy mighty hand. Henry van Dyke* (1852-1933).  This stirring piece of pride and hope in the nation was written at some time before 1912, when (according to Hymnary.org.) it was published in Songs of the Christian Life. It was characteristic of van Dyke’s work in the skill of its versification, and the ability to convey exactly what the author was trying to celebrate, from the beauty of the American landscape (a favourite theme for van Dyke) to the hope of a better society. It was published in van Dyke’s The Grand Canyon, and Other Poems (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1914). The title was ‘The Peace-Hymn of the Republic’: O Lord our God, Thy mighty handHath made our...