God is working his purpose out,
As year succeeds to year:
God is working his purpose out,
And the time is drawing near;
440
Nearer and nearer draws the time,
The time that shall surely be,
When the earth shall be filled with the glory of God
As the waters cover the sea.

From utmost east to utmost west,
Where'er man's foot hath trod,
By the mouth of many messengers
Goes forth the voice of God;
Give ear to me, ye continents,
Ye isles, give ear to me,
That the earth may be filled with the glory of God
As the waters cover the sea.

What can we do to work God's work,
To prosper and increase
The brotherhood of all mankind,
The reign of the Prince of Peace?
What can we do to hasten the time,
The time that shall surely be,
When the earth shall be filled with the glory of God
As the waters cover the sea.

March we forth in the strength of God,
With the banner of Christ unfurled,
That the light of the glorious gospel of truth
May shine throughout the world:
Fight we the fight with sorrow and sin
To set their captives free,
That the earth may be filled with the glory of God
As the waters cover the sea.

441
All we can do is nothing worth,
Unless God blesses the deed;
Vainly we hope for the harvest-tide,
Till God gives life to the seed;
Yet nearer and nearer draws the time,
The time that shall surely be,
When the earth shall be filled with the glory of God
As the waters cover the sea.

Amen.

The Hymnal [of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the USA]

Scripture References:
st. 2 = Isa. 42:4
st. 4 = Ps. 127:1-2
ref. = Isa. 11:6-9
Hab.2:14

In 1894 Arthur C. Ainger (b. Blackheath, England, 1841; d. Eton, England, 1919) wrote the text in five irregular stanzas for use by the boys at Eton College, where Ainger was a popular schoolmaster from 1864-1901. Educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, England, Ainger wrote numerous songs and hymns for use at Eton.

Dedicated to Edward W. Benson, Archbishop of Canterbury, the text was first issued as a leaflet and then published in the Hymn Book of the Church Missionary Society (1899). The Psalter Hymnal includes the original stanzas 1, 2, 4, and 5.

Broadly defined as a missions hymn, this text is united by the closing biblical line of each stanza (similar to a refrain): "when the earth shall be filled with the glory of God as the waters cover the sea." "God Is Working" provides a clear testimony that God is the Lord of history, that he "is working his purposes out" (st. 1) even when we cannot fathom his ways. But it also presents a challenge: to press the cause of Christ through¬out the whole world (st. 2), to let the gospel of Christ set free those who are captive to sin and sorrow (st. 3), and to make sure our deeds are worthy of God's blessing (st. 4).

The entire text affirms the passage from Philippians 2 (12-13), where we are commanded to "work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in YOU to will and to act according to his good purpose."

Liturgical Use:
As a hymn of divine sovereignty and providence; worship that emphasizes the public task or kingdom work of Christians in the world.

--Psalter Hymnal Handbook