He Leadeth Me!
He Leadeth Me!
He leadeth me! O blessed thought!
O words with heav’nly comfort fraught!
Whate’er I do, where’er I be,
Still ’tis God’s hand that leadeth me!
He leadeth me, He leadeth me,
By His own hand He leadeth me:
His faithful follower I would be,
For by His hand He leadeth me.
Lord, I would clasp Thy hand in mine,
Nor ever murmur nor repine,
Content, whatever lot I see,
Since ’tis Thy hand that leadeth me!
And when my task on earth is done,
When, by Thy grace, the vict’ry’s won,
E’en death’s cold wave I will not flee,
Since God through Jordan leadeth me!
THE CIVIL WAR was being waged, and the outcome was still uncertain. Joseph Gilmore, pastor of Philadelphia’s First Baptist Church, wanted to turn his people’s attention to the security of God’s guidance. The important thing, he said, is to know that God is leading—no matter how or where He leads us. After the service, Gilmore went to a deacon’s home, and the conversation continued to revolve around the blessedness of God’s leading. As others went on talking, he took out a pencil and wrote the words of this hymn, gave it to his wife, and forgot about it.
Three years later he was a pastoral candidate for a church in Rochester, New York. Since he was unfamiliar with the church’s hymnal, he began leafing through it and spotted the hymn “He Leadeth Me”—his own hymn! Without his knowledge, Mrs. Gilmore had sent the words to a Christian periodical, which had them set to music.
You are my rock and my fortress. For the honor of your name, lead me out of this danger.
Psalm 31:3
From the book
