The Story Behind the Hymns
THE STORY BEHIND "GUIDE ME, O THOU GREAT JEHOVAH"

Few hymns capture the journey of faith with the vividness of “Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah.” Written out of the rich Welsh Christian tradition, the hymn turns the biblical story of Israel’s journey through the wilderness into a deeply personal prayer for God’s guidance, strength and provision.

The original hymn was written in Welsh by William Williams Pantycelyn (1717–1791), one of the most influential hymn writers of the Welsh revival. The Welsh title, “Arglwydd, arwain trwy'r anialwch” meaning “Lord, lead me through the wilderness” first appeared in 1745.

Williams drew heavily on the story of the Israelites travelling through the wilderness under God’s direction. The hymn speaks of a believer who recognises that the journey ahead cannot be completed by human strength alone. God is asked to lead, sustain and provide until the traveller reaches the promised destination.

The English version familiar to congregations today came through the work of Peter Williams, who translated the hymn in 1771. It was subsequently adapted and revised in English hymnals, helping the hymn move beyond Wales and into the wider Christian world.

Its imagery remains striking: the believer is a “pilgrim through this barren land,” dependent upon the “Bread of Heaven” for spiritual nourishment and upon God’s presence for every step of the journey.

The hymn became especially associated with Welsh Christianity and eventually found a powerful musical setting in the tune “Cwm Rhondda,” composed by Welsh musician John Hughes in 1907. The combination of Williams’ words and Hughes’ stirring melody transformed it into one of the best-known hymns to emerge from Wales.

“Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah” has since been sung in churches, at major Christian gatherings, at national occasions and in moments of remembrance and celebration. Its enduring appeal lies in its simple but profound message: life may lead us through wilderness seasons, but the believer does not have to walk through them alone.

The final destination is not the wilderness. The prayer of the hymn is that the Great Jehovah will continue to guide His people until they reach the promised land.

Dear Father,

Yesterday, I learned that there is a Jewish rabbinic belief that the Amalekites were associated with sorcery and could disguise themselves as animals. I don't know how true this is, but I pondered on it, particularly because Your instruction to King Saul, when he was commanded to destroy the Amalekites, was to “Go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.”

There are other instances where You gave similar instructions, but this one stands out to me, especially because Saul disobeyed: “And spared the best of the sheep, oxen, fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and did not utterly destroy them.” Sadly, all that seemed good to them was included in the instruction for destruction. What if there was more to the destruction of the animals than the superficial destruction of animals? What if, in their disobedience, they opened themselves up to witchcraft?

One of the greatest obstacles to obeying divine instructions is our need to understand and make sense of them. In doing so, we sometimes modify them, often without realizing that there may be a bigger picture on the other side of our obedience. And In our lifetime, we may never fully comprehend the consequences or obstructions caused by our disobedience because, for us, it may just be a harmless and continual exchange of devotion with You for rest, and many other scenarios that apply.

But perhaps the biggest problem with our disobedience is that we do not always see the bigger picture.

Translations;
Slide 1: English
Slide 2: French
Slide 3: Bengali
Slide 4: Hindi
Slide 5: Urdu
Slide 6: Portuguese

#LettertoGod
#obedience
#consequences
#instructions
#devotion

Dear Father,

Yesterday, I learned that there is a Jewish rabbinic belief that the Amalekites were associated with sorcery and could disguise themselves as animals. I don't know how true this is, but I pondered on it, particularly because Your instruction to King Saul, when he was commanded to destroy the Amalekites, was to “Go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.”

There are other instances where You gave similar instructions, but this one stands out to me, especially because Saul disobeyed: “And spared the best of the sheep, oxen, fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and did not utterly destroy them.” Sadly, all that seemed good to them was included in the instruction for destruction. What if there was more to the destruction of the animals than the superficial destruction of animals? What if, in their disobedience, they opened themselves up to witchcraft?

One of the greatest obstacles to obeying divine instructions is our need to understand and make sense of them. In doing so, we sometimes modify them, often without realizing that there may be a bigger picture on the other side of our obedience. And In our lifetime, we may never fully comprehend the consequences or obstructions caused by our disobedience because, for us, it may just be a harmless and continual exchange of devotion with You for rest, and many other scenarios that apply.

But perhaps the biggest problem with our disobedience is that we do not always see the bigger picture.

Translations;
Slide 1: English
Slide 2: French
Slide 3: Bengali
Slide 4: Hindi
Slide 5: Urdu
Slide 6: Portuguese

#LettertoGod
#obedience
#consequences
#instructions
#devotion

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Dear Father,

I have questions from a Scripture which says, “if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others.” It states that Noah was a preacher of righteousness, which could mean, the people who were destroyed were not left without a word to turn them from their unrighteousness. Still, only Noah and his family were saved.

Does this really mean there was no one else who, on the strength of his relationship with You, received information that could have saved himself and his family too? Was it a matter of the voice of the majority often carrying the greatest influence? I would like to infer that the ark was no secret at all. For something that had never existed before, its construction may have been public knowledge. And yet, not one more soul was saved. Or perhaps this was about the arrogance of intelligence--that dismisses as unreasonable anything that is beyond the natural.

It’s sad to communicate this, Father. I see the very same pattern in the world today: preachers of righteousness, seen as fools for committing to build for a cause the world does not yet understand. “Why should we prepare for a flood when we’ve never even seen rain?” Living as though all they know is all there is to know about a life they have no idea how they came about living. And others who know, but would rather ride the train of the majority. How difficult can it be to seek You out for ourselves? Yet, while in uncertainty, we make decisions and leave matters of eternity to chance.

What if, just what if, the flood was true, and the fire the Bible prophesies is also true? Perhaps history will repeat itself again.

Translations;
Slide 1: English
Slide 2: French
Slide 3: Bengali
Slide 4: Hindi
Slide 5: Urdu
Slide 6: Portuguese

#LettertoGod
#Noahstory
#theflood
#unrighteousness
#biblestory

Dear Father,

I have questions from a Scripture which says, “if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others.” It states that Noah was a preacher of righteousness, which could mean, the people who were destroyed were not left without a word to turn them from their unrighteousness. Still, only Noah and his family were saved.

Does this really mean there was no one else who, on the strength of his relationship with You, received information that could have saved himself and his family too? Was it a matter of the voice of the majority often carrying the greatest influence? I would like to infer that the ark was no secret at all. For something that had never existed before, its construction may have been public knowledge. And yet, not one more soul was saved. Or perhaps this was about the arrogance of intelligence--that dismisses as unreasonable anything that is beyond the natural.

It’s sad to communicate this, Father. I see the very same pattern in the world today: preachers of righteousness, seen as fools for committing to build for a cause the world does not yet understand. “Why should we prepare for a flood when we’ve never even seen rain?” Living as though all they know is all there is to know about a life they have no idea how they came about living. And others who know, but would rather ride the train of the majority. How difficult can it be to seek You out for ourselves? Yet, while in uncertainty, we make decisions and leave matters of eternity to chance.

What if, just what if, the flood was true, and the fire the Bible prophesies is also true? Perhaps history will repeat itself again.

Translations;
Slide 1: English
Slide 2: French
Slide 3: Bengali
Slide 4: Hindi
Slide 5: Urdu
Slide 6: Portuguese

#LettertoGod
#Noahstory
#theflood
#unrighteousness
#biblestory

Good morning to everyone. Grace and Peace be with you.

I told you about our trying out a new translation ap so that my friend and I can communicate without someone to translate for us. She is my husband’s age and then there is my catawampus brain. I told you about how we laughed so hard and loud that I got into trouble … haha. Let me give you another giggle from that wonderful ap.

Yesterday while I was cooking dinner, my oldest little came and asked for help with her new baby doll that needed batteries. I told her to go see Opa because he had the screwdrivers. She did. Then she came back to ask for batteries. I looked all over my house and found batteries in every size but the one I needed. As I was trying to explain that we would go to the store after dinner, my German disappeared. So I asked, “Kanst du liesen?” which in my version of German is “Can you read?” She said yes. I was like Yes, I can use the app. I typed that we would go to the Dollar Store after dinner and turned the phone for her to read. I asked if she understood. She shook her head. I looked at the phone and the words looked wrong. (All languages have a vibe and this was not right.) The app had reset itself to Spanish. So, no, my German little could not read the Spanish translation. We giggled. I fixed it. She understood.

Later, my daughter-in-law had a great conversation, in English, about how we each have the same fear. When we attempt the other’s language, we are afraid of saying the wrong word. This brought up some memories of when I tried to ask her in front of her house if s he remembered the keys … however, the word for keys is similar to shoes and castles. So I actually asked if she had her shoes, castles and then keys, trying to make my brain and mouth work together.

There is a language barrier between us, but it is only a barrier if we allow the enemy to hold it between us. The barrier is only as strong as we allow it to be. Fear is a powerful tool and can keep you from trying new things. Such as … having a conversation with someone who speaks a different language. Last year, when they came, I purchased translating ear buds; they were slow on the translation and sometimes did not translate. This year we are trying the app and if I make sure it is set to German and English, I have even attempted to pronounce what it tells me. The attempt is there. The love is there. The barrier is coming down one word, one attempt, one text at a time. As we endeavor to be able to speak to each other, play goofy nugget games and faces with each other, breaking through the barrier one brick at a time … we take away the enemy’s fortress.

The enemy would have us all cowering in our little corners, afraid and resistant to step out in faith. But … I was not made to live in fear. I was not made to cower. I was made to step out in the power of Jesus Christ and share his Peace and Love while planting seeds of hope.

Today I encourage you to seek His face. Lay at His feet the barriers that you are facing, the fear that has you stationary, the battles that seem to be holding you back in your mind. I urge you step out in the faith and power of the Father and watch the fear barriers crumble. I am not completely confident in speaking German, but when it does start coming out … even if it is wrong…I tried. Trying is half the battle.

Be blessed.

**For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. – Hebrews 4:12

The Story Behind the Hymns
THE STORY BEHIND " WHO IS ON THE LORD'S SIDE? "

“Who Is on the Lord’s Side?” is a stirring Christian hymn written by Frances Ridley Havergal, the English poet, hymn writer and devotional author whose words often called believers to deeper commitment and wholehearted service to Christ.

The hymn was written in 1877, during a period when Havergal was deeply involved in Christian ministry and devotional writing. Its central question is direct and searching: “Who is on the Lord’s side?” Rather than simply asking believers to identify themselves as Christians, the hymn challenges them to consider whether they are truly willing to stand with Christ and serve Him.

The hymn’s inspiration is closely connected with the biblical language of choosing whom one will serve. Its message echoes Joshua’s declaration in Joshua 24:15: “Choose you this day whom ye will serve,” while also drawing on the New Testament call to follow Christ faithfully.

Each verse develops the theme of surrender and allegiance. Havergal speaks of giving oneself fully to the Lord, following His leadership, enduring hardship and remaining faithful to His cause. The hymn therefore moves beyond a declaration of faith to a call for action, courage and consecration.

The familiar opening asks:

“Who is on the Lord’s side?
Who will serve the King?”

The “King” is Christ, and the question is presented as an invitation to make a deliberate choice. The hymn reminds worshippers that Christian discipleship involves more than words; it calls for a life placed at the service of God.

Havergal became known for hymns that expressed personal devotion, consecration and commitment to Christ. Among her other well-known hymns are “Take My Life, and Let It Be” and “Like a River Glorious.” Her writings continue to be sung and read by Christians around the world.

“Who Is on the Lord’s Side?” has endured because of its timeless challenge. Generations of Christians have sung it as a hymn of dedication, especially in worship services where believers are encouraged to renew their commitment to Christ and His work.

More than a century after it was written, its question remains just as powerful: when the call to serve the King comes, where do we stand?

Dear Father,

My big brother taught me something, and today, I came across it in Scripture. When Samson was about to be born, an angel appeared to his mother, saying, “Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son.” It gets interesting when, after she narrated this to her husband, Manoah prayed, saying, “O my Lord, let the man of God which thou didst send come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born.” And He came.

This Scripture speaks to me because I often have dreams at night that later come to pass. However, I have noticed that they are often progressive; they reveal themselves in fragments and scenes, and sometimes, I am only able to make sense of a dream after it has recurred two or three times. I never knew there was more to this, even as it relates to dreams, until I was taught about relationship and interaction with You.

How aware are we that we can make requests and follow up on something we do not yet fully understand? Perhaps we often run with incomplete information because, when You say, “Go,” You are also interested in telling us “How?” and “When?” And an ongoing conversation with You becomes a pathway to a deeper relationship with You. Is this not also true of our relationships? A break in communication with someone we love may raise cause for concern. Except we do not believe in what we build with You.

How best can I communicate this? That scenes of dreams are pieced together and in reality they sometimes occur at once. That You reveal secrets to the ones who always come knocking.

Translations;
Slide 1: English
Slide 2: French
Slide 3: Bengali
Slide 4: Hindi
Slide 5: Urdu
Slide 6: Portuguese

#LettertoGod
#relationship
#interractions
#dreams
#vision