Lead on, O cloud of presence;
The exodus is come;
In wilderness and desert
Our tribe shall make its home.
Our bondage left behind us,
New hopes within us grow.
We seek the land of promise
Where milk and honey flow.
Lead on, O fiery pillar;
We follow yet with fears,
But we shall come rejoicing,
Though joy be born of tears.
We are not lost, though wand’ring,
For by Your light we come,
And we are still God’s people.
The journey is our home.
Lead on, O God of freedom,
And guide us on our way,
And help us trust the promise
Through struggle and delay.
We pray our sons and daughters
May journey to that land
Where justice dwells with mercy
And love is law’s demand.
– Ruth C. Duck (1974, 1989)