Written by Frances Ridley Havergal on January 1, 1859, this hymn on daily strength was inspired by a New Year's motto quoted by her sister, Maria V. G. Havergal, as the bells of St. Nicholas' Church near the Worcester Rectory rang in the new year. Maria quoted the promise from Deuteronomy 33:25, "As thy days thy strength shall be," to which Frances responded in verse, completing the hymn the following day. First published in the Sunday Magazine in July 1867, a manuscript copy in Havergal's hand was also lithographed in her sister's biographical volume, Memorials of Frances Ridley Havergal. A modified version of the final stanza was inscribed on their Aunt Izard's tombstone in 1868. While the hymn did not attain common usage in Great Britain, it was widely adopted by American compilers and featured in collections such as Hymns and Songs of Praise (1874) and Songs of Christian Praise (1880).
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