As helpless as the child who clings

Written by James Drummond Burns, this hymn on "Childlike Trust" was first published in his small collection of prayers and hymns, The Evening Hymn (1857, No. 9), in three stanzas of eight lines. It was later included in the Appendix to Dr. Walker's Cheltenham Collection, the new edition of Hugh Stowell's Selection of Psalms and Hymns, and other collections. It is a tender, childlike hymn intended primarily for private use, though it is sometimes designated as a hymn for children.