I was flipping through an old hymnal recently and found a hymn called “A Student’s Prayer” by a man named John W. Peterson. I find it fascinating for two reasons:

  1. It expresses a bold desire to conquer the intellectual frontier in submission to the Word of God. It’s not every day you find a Jesus-loving battle song for cerebral expansion. I like it.
  2. It warns of the dangers of academic pride. In other words, it calls for a big mind and not a big head. That’s rare.

Here are the words.

God, the all-wise, and Creator
Of the human intellect,
Guide our search for truth and knowledge,
All our thoughts and ways direct.
Help us build the tow’rs of learning
That would make us wise, astute,
On the rock of Holy Scripture:
Truth revealed and absolute.

O how vast the shores of learning–
There are still uncharted seas,
And they call to bold adventure
Those who turn from sloth and ease.
But we need Your hand to guide us
In the studies we pursue,
And the presence of Your Spirit
To illumine all we do.

May the things we learn, so meager,
Never lift our hearts in pride
Till in foolish self-reliance
We would wander from Your side.
Let them only bind us closer,
Lord, to You, in whom we find
Very fountainhead of wisdom,
Light and life of all mankind.

Words copyright Singspiration 1965. From Praise! Our Songs and Hymns, ed. Norman Johnson (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1979), #145.