Hail to the brightness of Zion’s glad morning!
Joy to the lands that in darkness have lain!
Hushed be the accents of sorrow and mourning;
Zion in triumph begins her mild reign.
Hail to the brightness of Zion’s glad morning!
Long by the prophets of Israel foretold!
Hail to the millions from bondage returning!
Gentiles and Jews the blest vision behold.
Lo, in the desert rich flowers are springing,
streams ever copious are gliding along;
loud from the mountain-tops echoes are ringing,
wastes rise in verdure and mingle in song.
See, from all lands, from the isles of the ocean,
praise to Jehovah ascending on high;
fall’n are the engines of war and commotion,
shouts of salvation are rending the sky.
Thomas Hastings, 1831
Read Isaiah 35:1-10
“Hail to the Brightness” looks forward to a day when Christ at last rules and reigns and the whole earth is restored. It is the moment we pray for when we say “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” It is not a fairytale. We will see this day.