Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah
A Welsh classic which is still sung all around the world today. Written in Welsh by William Williams in 1745, and translated in Peter Williams a few years later, these words encourage us to keep going through our deserts, because we have a great Guide who is the Bread of Heaven and the Living Water. Amazing words!
Today's Friday Classic Hymn is "Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah," or perhaps you know it as "Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer." Find out why there's that difference as we explore the history and lyrics of this beloved song.
The Story Behind "Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah"
This powerful hymn was written by William Williams, who was known as "The Sweet Singer of Wales." He was an ordained Deacon in the Church of England in the 1700s but eventually joined the Calvinistic Methodists of his time.
Williams was a revered preacher, very much loved by the people of his time. He used to travel around the country on horseback, preaching in different churches, and people really enjoyed his preaching. He wrote many hymns as well, and this is probably his most famous one. It's been included in hymnals ever since it was first written, and even today it remains a very popular hymn.
Williams wrote it in Welsh. Directly translated, the first line is actually "Lord, lead me through the wilderness." It was in 1771 that another Welsh clergyman, Peter Williams (no relation to William), rewrote these words—or translated them—into English. The version that we know today, he titled "Prayer for Strength," which is exactly what this hymn is. It's the words that Peter Williams wrote that we've all come to know and love.
The tune for this song is also quite famous. It's a very famous melody written by composer John Hughes in 1905. He wrote it for a hymn festival in Wales at the time, but he ended up tweaking it. A few years later, he famously played it at the unveiling of a new organ at a chapel named Cwm Rhondda, and so he subsequently entitled the tune "Cwm Rhondda." On most hymnals, you can see that written there so that you know what tune to sing this to.
This is a very popular hymn in the United Kingdom, especially in Wales, of course. The British Monarchy actually uses this hymn frequently. It was played at the two most recent Royal weddings—Prince William to Catherine Middleton and Prince Harry to Meghan Markle. It was also played at the funerals of Princess Diana and the Queen Mother. Strangely enough, this is a favourite that is sung at many Welsh rugby games. It's got such a sense of national pride—this amazing hymn that the Welsh people love to sing.
So why is it such a popular and enduring hymn? Of course, because of the easy tune, but also more profoundly because of these lyrics.
What Do the Lyrics of "Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah" Mean?
Let's have a look at the meaning behind each verse.
Verse 1: Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah
The first verse says: "Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah, pilgrim through this barren land."
As I said earlier, some of you probably know the song as "Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer." The first line was changed from "Jehovah" to "Redeemer" in many hymnals. Essentially, it's just a matter of preference. Some people believe that "Jehovah" is not an accurate translation of Yahweh—or however you pronounce the Hebrew name for God. In those early days, some people in their hymnals edited it to be "Guide me, O Thou great Redeemer."
Both work. "Jehovah" speaks of the great God whom we serve. "Redeemer" is perhaps a more all-encompassing term, although maybe not—"Jehovah" also has many overtones of God's saving love. In the end, whether you sing "Jehovah" or "Redeemer" isn't really important, because both of them point to the God who accompanies us pilgrims through the barren lands of life.
For me, when I sing this line, I see pictures of the Israelites walking through the desert, having been set free from captivity in Egypt—pilgrims through the desert, the wasteland. They needed God's guidance: "God, Lord, show us the way." So often in our own spiritual lives there is a parallel here. We walk through our deserts, and we need the guidance of a great God, a great Jehovah, a great Redeemer to help us along the way.
I also think of Psalm 63, which says: "O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water." Life is like this sometimes. Life is difficult—it's like we're going through deserts. We need the Living Water that only Jesus can bring, as we shall see in further verses.
The next line says: "I am weak, but Thou art mighty; hold me with Thy powerful hand."
Yes, of course we are weak, but He is our strength. He is our power. We can rely on Him holding us lovingly as our God and as our Father. Isn't this wonderful to sing—to ask God in faith to hold us in His hands? That's a wonderful, comforting image when we go through difficult deserts.
Then we sing: "Bread of Heaven, Bread of Heaven, feed me till I want no more" (or other edits of the song say "feed me now and evermore").
Again, there's this biblical imagery here. Remember, the Israelites in the desert for 40 years were miraculously fed by God with manna—bread from Heaven, literally. Then Jesus came and applied this in a spiritual sense. He said this in John 6:
"Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."
"Sir," they said, "always give us this bread." It's like they were expecting manna to start falling again.
Then Jesus declared: "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty."
So Jesus is the Bread of Heaven. When we feed on Him in our hearts, we are filled. He feeds us till we want no more. He satisfies our hunger. Are you feeding on Him? Is He your ultimate satisfaction in life?
Verse 2: Open Thou the Crystal Fountain
In verse two, the songwriter says: "Open Thou the crystal fountain, whence the healing stream shall flow."
The "crystal fountain" image comes from the Book of Revelation, where we read:
"Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city."
What a day it will be when we see that fountain—that crystal-clear water from God! But again, we remember that Jesus called Himself the Living Water. Even if we're in a desert, here's our Living Water. We can be full; our thirst can be quenched if we are drinking Him in, taking gulps of Him as we walk through our deserts. There's certainly a healing stream that flows from this. Jesus's water heals us—heals us in many ways.
"Let the fiery, cloudy pillar lead me all my journey through."
Another reference to the Old Testament. In Exodus, we read:
"By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night."
Again, there's this image of us today—pilgrims walking our deserts with God being our guide through day and night. He is the One who guides us. Of course, we don't need a physical cloud or a physical fiery pillar anymore—we've got the Holy Spirit inside of us. God is not contained in something physical, but He is Spirit inside of us now. As we rely on the Spirit, He leads us and guides us through our deserts.
"Strong Deliverer, strong Deliverer, be Thou still my strength and shield."
Very psalm-like language here. God is often called "Deliverer" in the Psalms. We can trust that God will deliver us from evil, as we pray in the Lord's Prayer. Of course, ultimately He has delivered us from lives of sin and guilt into lives that are cleansed and holy.
Those other two images—strength and shield—appear over and over again in the Bible. God is seen as our strength. Do you remember in verse one, Williams wrote: "I am weak, but Thou art powerful"? Here he says: "Be Thou my strength." We are weak, but with Jesus, with God as our Deliverer and as our Shield, He gives us strength and we can go on. He's our Shield, protecting us from the enemy's swords and arrows. Great words about who God is in our lives.
Verse 3: When I Tread the Verge of Jordan
Verse three says: "When I tread the verge of Jordan, bid my anxious fears subside."
Again, he's picturing the Israelites about to now go out of their deserts into the Promised Land. He remembers how afraid they were—they were so terrified to take that step in faith and take possession of what was theirs.
Don't we do the same? God calls us out of our deserts of sin and shame into a life of abundant spiritual wellness. Yet we know that the desert is sometimes a little more comfortable, so we're just afraid to take that step. God is saying you don't need to be afraid. As Williams says: "Bid my anxious fears subside." Lord, help me to not fear but to take possession of the land that You've given me.
"Death of death and hell's destruction, land me safe on Canaan's side."
There's more biblical imagery here. Revelation 20 says: "Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire."
Death of death and hell's destruction—that's what John was writing in Revelation. From that time in the future, nobody will die anymore, and hell itself will be gone because only the faithful in Christ remain. Williams here is saying: Let me be on the right side—let me be on Canaan's side, on the side of life, when death is finally destroyed.
Of course, for those of us whose faith is in Christ, we have great assurance that when these things happen, we will be on God's side. We will be on the safe side if we have placed our faith in Him.
"Songs of praises, songs of praises, I will ever give to Thee."
What an amazing ending—a statement of worship in light of all this. Of God being our guide, our great Jehovah or Redeemer. Of Him being our Bread of Heaven, the One who gives us life—Living Water. It is because of this that I will ever give God my praise and sing Him songs. Beautiful, beautiful.
Conclusion
"Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah" remains one of the most beloved hymns in Christian hymnody, and for good reason. Its powerful imagery of God as our Guide, our Strength, our Provider, and our Deliverer speaks to the heart of every believer who walks through the deserts of this life.
Whether you sing "Jehovah" or "Redeemer," whether you know it by the tune name "Cwm Rhondda" or simply as that Welsh hymn, the truth remains the same: we are pilgrims in need of a mighty God to hold us with His powerful hand.
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References
The Holy Bible, New International Version
Psalm 63:1
John 6:32-35
Exodus 13:21
Revelation 22:1
Revelation 20:14
