Facing a Task Unfinished
One of the 94 hymns we sing together at Cornerstone Reformed Baptist Church on the Gold Coast. Browse the full hymnbook.
Lyrics
Verse 1
Facing a task unfinished
That drives us to our knees
A need that, undiminished
Rebukes our slothful ease
We, who rejoice to know Thee
Renew before Thy throne
The solemn pledge we owe Thee
To go and make Thee known
Verse 2
Where other lords beside Thee
Hold their unhindered sway
Where forces that defied Thee
Defy Thee still today
With none to heed their crying
For life, and love, and light
Unnumbered souls are dying
And pass into the night
Chorus
We go to all the world
With kingdom hope unfurled
No other name has power to save
But Jesus Christ The Lord.
Verse 3
We bear the torch that flaming
Fell from the hands of those
Who gave their lives proclaiming
That Jesus died and rose
Ours is the same commission
The same glad message ours
Fired by the same ambition
To Thee we yield our powers
Verse 4
O Father who sustained them
O Spirit who inspired
Saviour, whose love constrained th
To toil with zeal untired
From cowardice defend us
From lethargy awake!
Forth on Thine errands send us
To labour for Thy sake
Behind the Hymn
"Facing a Task Unfinished" was originally written by Frank Houghton in 1931 while he was serving as a missionary with the China Inland Mission (now OMF International) during a time of intense persecution of Christians in China. Houghton wrote it as a missionary rallying cry, calling the church to complete the Great Commission despite opposition and suffering. The original hymn was updated and given new music in 2016 by Keith Getty, Kristyn Getty, Ed Cash, and Fionán de Barra, who preserved Houghton's original verses while adding a powerful modern chorus. The Gettys were moved by the hymn's unflinching honesty about the unfinished nature of world evangelization and its call to sacrificial commitment. The updated version was premiered at the 2016 Together for the Gospel conference and quickly became an anthem for the modern missions movement. Its message — that the task of reaching every nation remains urgent and that the church must not grow comfortable while millions remain unreached — bridges nearly a century of missionary zeal.