Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah

William Williams

The author of the hymn was the great Welsh singer and preacher by the name of William Williams. The hymn was sung in the Welsh language and translated into English by Peter Williams, and others.

The Welsh version continues to be popular, and will spontaneously be sung by in large crowds even at rugby games! It has great appeal among the Welsh. It has also been translated into 75 different languages!

The message of the hymn comes from the story of the desperate condition of the Israelites as they went through the wilderness. God provided water from a rock in one dire situation, providing the crystal streaming fountain of life-sustaining and cooling moisture. God also provided the pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night to guide them through the barren desert. 

The hymn “Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah” is an autobiography of William William’s own life. He lived life as a pilgrim, pressing on through the snows of winter, the rains of the spring, and the heat of the fall. Mobs beat him up to the point of death, but in it all he sought to follow God in his travels.

There are a couple of different tunes that are used with the words. The tune by John Hughes was composed in 1907 for the annual Baptist Cymnfa Ganu (singing festival) in Capel Rhondda, Pontypridd, Wales. It was printed on leaflets for the occasion. The tune name is Cwm Rhondda, being named after the principal coal town of Glamorganshire. The same tune is used for “Angels, from the Realms of Glory.”

When D.L. Moody and Ira Sankey went to Wales for their evangelistic crusade, they found this hymn to be the most popular in their meetings.

During the War Between the States, a Baptist minister in the mountains of Virginia found the message of this hymn to still be true. He was exposed to many trials as a Union supporter. One day he believed he needed to flee to the woods to hide, and before leaving told his wife. The next day his wife sent word to him of his Providential escape. Just after he had left the house, soldiers arrived and searched the house and set up gallows in the barn to use for his execution. During the night he was able to escape detection. But the story does not end there. He still had to cross a wide plain between two mountains, on his way to Union lines. This valley had no cover for him to use, and his enemies were on horseback. But in his last day in the mountain, he awoke to find the plain covered with a low layer of clouds, dense enough to conceal him, but not high enough to keep him from seeing the trees on the other side—his goal. He sang, “Let the fiery, cloudy pillar, Lead me all my journey through.” The clouds protected and hid him. As his feet safely reached the next mountain, he was able to sing “Strong Deliver, Strong Deliver, Be Thou still my strength and shield.”

Another story is told of the same War Between the States of a prisoner in Andersonville who managed to escape. He had a compass with him, but it was so dark, he could not see which way to go. To the North he would find freedom, but to the south, be recaptured. He longed for a match, a candle or even some moon light, but there was nothing to be had. His life seemed to hang on the need to know which way to go. To his surprise, in this dark time of need, a little fire-fly came his way. He caught it, and it was able to provide just enough light to see the needle and know what way to go! God sill guides us in miraculous ways!

There are several stories of how this hymn was sung by godly people as they died and were experiencing the ultimate fulfillment! It has been a proven and beloved hymn for many years and for many saints!