Great King of nations, hear our prayer. J. H. Gurney. [Public Fast.] First published in his Lutterworth Collection of Hymns for Published Worship, 1838, No. 76, in 3 stanzas of 4 double lines, and headed, "Fast Day; or, Time of Public Calamity." It was repeated in the Marylebone Psalms & Hymns, 1851, No. 66, and is found in numerous modern collections, including Hymns Ancient & Modern, the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge Church Hymns, the Hymnal Companion, &c. It ranks as one of the best hymns for the occasion of Public Fasting.
--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)