This edition was prepared by Barry Johnston — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Beggar's Prayer
Staff Notation • Sacred
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2 editions of this piece
Different typesettings and voicings of the same work. This page shows the main edition; the others are below.
STB · Barry Johnston
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Beggar's Prayer by Jeremiah Ingalls — Lyrics
1. Encouraged by thy word
Of promise to the poor;
Behold, a beggar, Lord,
Waits at thy mercy’s door!
No hand, no heart, O Lord, but thine,
Can help or pity wants like mine.
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About Beggar's Prayer
Jeremiah Ingalls’s Beggar’s Prayer is a sacred anthem for treble, bass, and tenor voices, sung in English. The text paints a humble scene of a supplicant at God’s door, acknowledging their utter dependence on divine mercy and expressing the inadequacy of human help. The composer contrasts the usual worldly pleas of a beggar with the deeper spiritual needs that only God can address. The lyrics highlight a profound trust in God’s unique capacity for compassion and understanding, suggesting that pleas which might be scorned by men are precisely those which move God’s gracious ear. This is a devotional reflection on faith and humility, set for a traditional SATB choir.
