Arkansas, Our Native Land - A State Anthem

So, Arkansas needed (note the past tense) a new patriotic song to sing at school gatherings, public assemblies, etc. So I wrote one. To be sung to the tune "Austria":


1. God of nations bless our country,
Arkansas, our native land!
Let our hearts be just before Thee;
Guide us with Thy righteous hand!
Hill and valley, stream and delta,
Unto Thee we consecrate.
|: May the Lord of every people
Bless the banner of our state!:|

2. May this Christian land be christened,
With a flood of penitence,
When we have Thy law forgotten,
And have given Thee offense!
Not by armies, not by canon,
Are our lives made safe and free;
|: Make Thy people ever mindful
That our safety is in Thee!:|

3. Lands of harvest, lands of plenty,
Thou hast given us to keep.
When the foes of peace assail us,
Lord arouse us from our sleep!
Teach the hands of patriot warriors
Both to fight and to prevail!
|:With the Lord of hosts before us,
Arkansas shall never fail! :|