Written by Christopher Wordsworth, Bishop of Lincoln, this New Year's Day hymn was first published in the inaugural edition of his major hymnal The Holy Year in 1862 (Number 14). Consisting of nine stanzas of four lines, the text frames the turn of the calendar year through a deeply theological and pastoral lens, emphasizing divine providence, spiritual renewal, and Christian dedication. While later editions of The Holy Year preserved Wordsworth's complete original text, several compiler editors created condensed centos for general church use. Charles Vincent Snepp included a six-stanza selection in his Songs of Grace and Glory (1872), while Alfred Barry selected six stanzas for his Psalms and Hymns for the Church, School, and Home (1867).
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