1. Lord of the church, we pray for our renewing:Christ over all, our undivided aim;Fire of the Spirit, burn for our enduing,Wind of the Spirit, fan the living flame!We turn to Christ amid our fear and failing,The will that lacks the courage to be free,The weary labours, all but unavailing,To bring us nearer what a church should be.俗語云「人窮則呼天」。教會亦往往是在發現自身的軟弱和危難時，才開始真正熱切地禱告。詩人說今日的教會正面對恐懼(Fear)、失敗(Failing)、缺乏享受真自由的勇氣(Lack the courage to be free)、使人勞累的重擔(Weary labours)、但成效不彰(All but unavailing)等問題，就在這重重挫敗的慘霧中，詩人帶領信眾向那位教會的主(Lord of the Church)發問：「怎樣才算真正的教會？(What a church should be)」並且我們更要祈求那如風、如火的聖靈，賜我們更新教會的恩賜和熱情！
2. Lord of the church, we seek a Father’s blessing,A true repentence and a faith restored,A swift obedience and a new possessing,Filled with the Holy Spirit of the Lord!We turn to Christ from all our restless striving,Unnumbered voices with a single prayer–The living water for our souls’ reviving,In Christ to live and love and serve and care.第二節歌詞給我們看到教會的另一面貌─屬靈的家，在其中我們以同一位神為父親(Father)。可惜天父很多兒女都如浪子一樣，時時頂撞爸爸。我們何時才有真正的悔改(True repentence)呢？詩人又深切體會到我們今日很多的疲憊都是源於我們一些出自自我的固執(All our restless striving)，當我們願意愈快順服主(Swift obedience)，我們自然愈快得著靈裡的復甦(Soul’s reviving)。還得一提，復甦不是單為復甦；復甦乃為要活出在基督裡的愛、關懷與服侍(In Christ to live and love and serve and care)。
3. Lord of the church, we long for our uniting,True to one calling, by one vision stirred;One cross proclaiming and one creed reciting,One in the truth of Jesus and his word!So lead us on till toil and trouble ended,One church triumphant one new song shall singTo praise his glory, risen and ascended,Christ over all, the everlasting King!.最後一節的主題是「同一」。教會雖眾卻能合一，因為我們有同一恩召(One calling)、同一異象(One vision)、同一十架、同一信經、同一耶穌的真理，在主再來之時，我們會集結成同一得勝的教會(One church triumphant)，高唱同一首新歌(One new song shall sing)，頌讚著那復活升天掌權的基督！今天的基督教存在著許許多多的山頭主義、宗派主義、唯我獨尊主義，有時我們又會把彼此之間的不同放大百倍千倍；卻忘記了我們之間亦有更多的相同點。深願耶穌的心腸成為我們的心腸，好叫我們真的渴望見到教會合一(Lord of the church, we long for our uniting)。