"We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet" is a

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn ...

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

(LDS Church). It has been sung at many general conferences of the LDS Church since it was published in 1863. The text of the hymn was written sometime between 1860 and 1863 by William Fowler, an English convert to

Mormonism Mormonism is the religious tradition and theology of the Latter Day Saint movement of Restorationist Christianity started by Joseph Smith in Western New York in the 1820s and 1830s. As a label, Mormonism has been applied to various aspects o ...

Joseph F. Smith Joseph Fielding Smith Sr. (November 13, 1838 – November 19, 1918) was an American religious leader who served as the sixth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He was the nephew of Joseph Smith, the founde ...

reported that he was present at the first church worship service in England where Fowler brought the song to be sung. The song was first published in the LDS Church's 1863 hymnal, and has been included in every LDS hymnal since. The music is an adapted version of Caroline Sheridan Norton's "The Officer's Funeral March". George D. Pyper described "We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet" as "exclusively a Latter-day Saint hymn; a Mormon heartthrob; a song of the Restoration". The name of the hymn is often used as the title of lessons in church curriculum or as the title of church sermons and inspirational messages. The first verse of the song acknowledges the Latter-day Saints' gratitude to God for the

President of the Church In the Latter Day Saint movement, the President of the Church is generally considered to be the highest office of the church. It was the office held by Joseph Smith, founder of the movement, and the office assumed by many of Smith's claimed succe ...

, who is revered as a modern

prophet In religion, a prophet or prophetess is an individual who is regarded as being in contact with a divine being and is said to speak on behalf of that being, serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings from the ...

. Subsequent verses thank God for the care and protection he provides to the members of the church. The song is one of the 45 hymns that the church publishes in its basic curriculum sources that are used in areas of the world where the church is new or underdeveloped. As a result, it is often one of the first hymns new Latter-day Saints receive and learn. "We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet" is hymn number 19 in the current LDS Church hymnal. The copyright for this version is owned by Intellectual Reserve, Inc., a corporation established by the LDS Church to hold its intellectual property. Intellectual Reserve allows copying or downloading of the music and lyrics of the song for incidental, noncommercial church, or noncommercial home uses. A similar version of the hymn is published as hymn number 307 in the Revelation section of ''

Hymns of the Saints ''Hymns of the Saints'', published in Independence, Missouri by Herald House in 1981, was the official English-language hymnal of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (which became the Community of Christ in 2001), until 2013 ...

'' by the

Community of Christ The Community of Christ, known from 1872 to 2001 as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS), is an American-based international church, and is the second-largest denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement. The churc ...

Herald House Herald House or Herald Publishing House is the publishing division of Community of Christ in Independence, Missouri. It publishes books, periodicals and other materials at the direction of the First Presidency. Its history dates to the publicatio ...

publishing arm.

Unusual usage

While preparing to speak at a CES fireside being held at

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-d ...

's Marriott Center on February 7, 1993, Howard W. Hunter, the

president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles President of the Quorum of the Twelve (also President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, President of the Council of Twelve Apostles, and President of the Twelve) is a leadership position that exists in some of the churches of the Latter Day Sai ...

, was confronted by Cody Judy, who rushed onto the rostrum and threatened Hunter and the audience of 15,000 to 17,000. Judy carried a briefcase that he claimed contained a bomb and held what appeared to be a detonator-like device. Judy demanded that Hunter read a three-page document that supposedly detailed God's plan for Judy to lead the church, which Hunter refused to do. The audience spontaneously sang "We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet", during which students from the audience and then security personnel overtook Judy. After Judy was taken away, Hunter delivered his prepared remarks, a talk entitled "An Anchor to the Souls of Men".Daily Universe covers fireside threat on Pres. Hunter
by Alicia Barney, BYU ''Daily Universe'', December 8, 2005.

Notes

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External links

"We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet"
words and music, including free MP3 downloads Latter Day Saint hymns 1863 songs 1863 in Christianity * Prophecy in Mormonism