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Guide me O Thou great Jehovah,
Pilgrim through this barren land;
I am weak, but Thou art mighty;
Holy me with Thy powerful hand;
Bread of Heaven, Bread of Heaven
Feed me till I want no more!
Feed me till I want no more!
William Williams (1745)
THE HYMN AND ITS WRITER
William Williams was born on a little farm in 1717 in the parish of Llanfair-ar-y-bryn in Carmarthenshire, Wales. His parents, John and Dorothy Williams were nonconformists to the Church of England who loved Christ and gave their son a good education. As Welshmen, the Williams family loved to sing together. Even from very early in their history, the Welsh have loved to sing great songs of warriors, rulers and heroes. The Williams family’s motto was that of Taliesin, bard of the sixth century, “No musician is skillful unless he extols the Lord, and no singer is correct unless he praises the Father.” (Bailey, p.106)
William studied medicine in hopes to become a doctor but that changed very suddenly on a Sunday morning when he was 21 years old in 1738. As William exited the parish church of the little village of Talgarth, a large crowd gathered to hear a preacher named Howell Harris. Harris preached passionately about escaping the wrath and punishment of God that was to come upon sinners. He urged the people to trust Jesus Christ and his saving work of redemption upon the cross. Instead of scattering to their homes as they usually would on Sundays, the people flocked to hear him, some in awestruck silence, others with jeers and mockery. William was among those who were persuaded of the goodness of the Gospel and his heart was turned so completely that he sought from that time forward to live a life of evangelism, that others’ hearts would also be turned to the King of kings.
Instead of becoming an ordained clergyman, William took the entirety of Wales as his congregation, and he did it by foot! It is said that he walked an average of 2,230 miles a year so that he could tell the people of Wales about Jesus.
In this way the greater part of Williams’ life was spent, not in a preacher’s study, but in the great world of out of doors. The breaking of dawn, the play of sunlight and shadow, the changing cloud effects, the gathering storm, the approach of twilight, and the darkness of night–these were the things he lived with. The wonderful scenery of his native land, with its visions of mountain and valley, brooks rushing down the hills and placid rivers among the fields, the seashore with its rocks and harbors all these he saw every day with a poet’s eye…It was a picturesque life, but it was not an easy one; for nature is not always kind. It involved much exposure and constant fatigue. (Benson, p.74)
The life of a traveling evangelist was very hard. Aside from chilling winds and the burning sun, Williams also had to endure the hatred and persecution from people who did not like hearing what he had to say. On some occasions he was almost beaten to death.
Yet with all this walking and observing nature, it’s no wonder that the beauty of God’s creation saturated much of Williams’ poetry and hymns. And it is in hymnody where we see William Williams’ lasting influence today. Early in his ministry, Howell Harris held a hymn writing contest called an “Eisteddfod” to stimulate the composing of beautiful new songs to sing as an instrument of communicating the glories of the Gospel in Wales. Williams won the contest. He wrote 800 of them. Of those 800, only “Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah” is known and used in English hymnals today.
This love of nature which was for a Welshman so intimately twined with religion breathed through all of Williams’ poetry and endeared it to every heart. People who could not read caught the hymns by ear; others who were illiterate learned to read that they might enjoy them. They thus became a mighty educational and cultural force, and more than all else, they assured the triumph of revival in Wales. (Bailey, p. 108)
It is said that after more than half a century of raising his voice to tell massive crowds of the mercies of God and in singing loud and clear his praise to the King, Williams had all but lost his ability to speak. (Long) Yet it was clear from his countenance that the lines of his hymn were being realized: “When I tread the verge of Jordan, bid my anxious fears subside.” William Williams finished his race and crossed the Jordan in January of 1792 at the age 74. His gravestone reads, “He waits here the coming of the Morning Star.” (Benson, p.74) His hymns have continued on, leaving a legacy of faith and praise to both Wales and the world.
The Rev. H. Elvet Lewis, himself a poet, writes: ” What Paul Gerhardt has been to Germany, what Watts has been to England, that and more has William Williams been to the little principality of Wales. His hymns have both stirred and soothed a whole nation for a hundred years; they have helped to fashion a nation’s character and to deepen a nation’s piety.” They have been sung, Mr. Lewis goes on to say, by the shepherd on moor and mountain, by the blacksmith at his anvil, by the miner underground, by the milkmaid of an early morning, by the mother beside the cradle, by the funeral procession accompanying the dead to the long home, by the young in their hour of temptation and the veteran in his failing strength, and by the family of the Lord Christ at the breaking of the bread in His house. ” His hymns became the sacred ballads of the nation. As Luther sang Germany into Protestantism, so did Williams sing the Wales of the eighteenth century into piety.” (Benson)
IDEAS FOR DOING HYMN OF THE MONTH
We are so glad you are here, friend. If you are new to this community, welcome! It is a great time to join in and make family worship a priority if you haven’t already. You may or may not be familiar with this hymn. Either way, we invite you to spend this month meditating on its truths. You may find yourself too busy during this season to get to all of the verses, and that’s okay! Here are a few ideas for implementing the hymn of the month together:
- Print out your FREE printables for this hymn. Take a moment just to read through the verses together, as you would a poem. You can also use the copywork printables for your children to practice writing the words.
- Let your crew ask questions about vocabulary and the meaning behind the author’s poetry, and ask if there are any words or phrases that stick out to anyone.
- Read about the author together (above). There is such beauty in understanding the life and thoughts of the hymn writer! When my family sings hymns together, we often reflect on the author and his or her sufferings or blessings. For every hymn, it’s like we make a new friend.
- Listen to the hymn. Play it when you are driving together, or at home while washing dishes. Try out lots of different versions from our playlist below. Let your children hear YOU singing it. There is such wonderful comfort that comes from your children hearing you sing. Even if you feel like you haven’t a musical bone in your body, it doesn’t matter… Sing!
- Most importantly, spend time reading Scripture, praying and singing along with your children. It may feel awkward at first but go ahead and give it a try. Your kiddos may not join you in singing right away, and that’s ok. It may take a few days or even a few weeks, but at some point, you are most likely going to hear your children humming the tune or singing the lyrics while playing or while you lead them. Don’t forget to connect with your children by looking at them in the eyes while you sing. And in your heart, look to the Lord in worship, submission, joy and reverence.
- Review! There are many fantastic ways to review hymns, but our favorite is using a hymn jar. After the month is over, we write the hymn title on a popsicle stick and put it in our hymn jar. We’ll often pick 3 or 4 songs from our jar during our morning routine so that we won’t forget the beautiful songs we’ve learned. It’s amazing to me how well the lyrics often stick in our hearts and minds!
LISTEN IN
You can find fresh versions of the hymn on our YouTube channel that you and your family can sing along with. There are loads of fresh versions of our favorite hymns on our hymn of the month playlist.
KEEP IT SIMPLE
When we began singing hymns with our littles about 12 years ago, we kept it simple… We prayed and sang one hymn together every night at bedtime for a whole month. Everyone’s family rhythm is different, so we welcome you to gather up your families, for just a few minutes each day, to sing, discuss and memorize this hymn (following your daily time in the Scriptures and in prayer) whether it is first thing in the morning, or around the dinner table or before bedtime – whatever works best for your family. You can let us know how it’s going by posting either a video or a photo on Instagram. Just tag it with #happyhymnody! As always, if you have any questions or if you’d like to share your heart with us, please don’t hesitate to reach out! God bless you all this month as you worship and follow Jesus together as a family!
GOING DEEPER INTO HYMN STUDY
If you want more resources at your finger tips for hymn study, we have just finished the hymn guide for the 2023-2024 school year. Not only does it get all the hymns for the year ahead of schedule, but you get MORE background to the hymn story, the inside scoop to the original text and compositions, discussion questions, coloring pages for every month, more copywork sheets, and so much more. Read all about it and get yourself a downloadable copy on Etsy. This is also an opportunity for you to financially partner with us in the ministry of Happy Hymnody. Each hymn guide purchase helps us to be able to continue with research and with providing free printables on our site! So, thank you!
With so much warmth and love,
April
Resources used for study:
Bailey, A E. The Gospel in Hymns: Backgrounds and Interpretations. New York: Scribner, 1950. p.106-110
Benson, L F. Studies of Familiar Hymns. The Westminster Press, 1923. Online copy available: https://archive.org/details/studiesoffamilia005635mbp/page/n91/mode/2up
Challies, T. “Hymn Stories: Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah.” Callies.com 19 May, 2013. Retrieved July 10, 2023 from: https://www.challies.com/articles/hymn-stories-guide-me-o-thou-great-jehovah/
“CWM Rhondda.” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cwm_Rhondda
Long, E. Illustrated History of Hymns and Their Authors. Philadelphia: PW Ziegler and Co, 1876. P.491 Online copy available: https://books.google.com/books?id=5OYsAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA1-PA17#v=onepage&q&f=false
Piper, J. “Can God Spread a Table in the Wilderness?” DesiringGod.org. 22 Nov 1981. Retrieved July 10, 2023 from: https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/can-god-spread-a-table-in-the-wilderness
Ryken, L. “40 Favorite Hymns on the Christian Life.” New Jersey: P&R Publishing, 2019. P. 98-100
Happy Hymnody 