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Poetry Brochure, Large Print, 12-Point Type
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Commit thou all thy ways, and all thy grief and care, Psalm 37:5
To Him Whom heaven obeys, Whose love is everywhere. Nehemiah 9:6
For air, and clouds, and wind He findeth pathways meet; Psalm 148:8
Shall He not also find the pathway for thy feet? Proverbs 3:6
Thy trust must be in Him, if thou wouldst be at peace: Isaiah 26:3
If His work is thy theme, thy work shall have success. Matthew 6:33
With labor of thine own, with sorrowing and with care, Psalm 127:1-2
No blessing can be won; God giveth all to prayer. Hebrews 7:25
Ways through all dark distress, all means to Him are known. Psalm 139:12
He worketh but to bless; His path is light alone. Romans 8:28
And none can stay His arm, nor bid His work be still Daniel 4:35
When He will save from harm His people Israel. Galatians 6:16
To Thy most loving will, O Father, all is plain: Psalm 38:9
Thou knowest good from ill, Thou measurest both to men. Lam. 3:32-33
And all Thou has decreed that wilt thou surely do, Isaiah 46:10
By ways unknown wilt lead Thy blessed purpose through. Isaiah 42:16
The Lord will not retreat, nor change His glorious plan, Numbers 23:19
Should all the devils meet to aid rebellious man. Deuteronomy 31:6
When once His word is past, when He hath said, “I will,” Hebrews 13:5
That thing shall come at last; God keeps His promise still. 2 Corinthians 1:20
Trust, O thou sorrowing heart! Hope on, be not afraid; 2 Timothy 1:7
God sees thee where thou art, in darkness and in dread. Psalm 33:18
And He will lead thee on; trust God to lead thee right, Psalm 107:7
Thou yet shall see the sun arise in glorious light. Psalm 30:5
In His great strength arise, cast all thy cares away, 1 Peter 5:7
Leave fears, and griefs, and sighs to such as cannot pray. Isaiah 40:31
If thou art not a king, almighty to compel, Psalm 95:3
Thy God rules everything, and He can rule all well. Ecclesiastes 3:14
Him do thou ever trust, the King Who rules aright; Genesis 18:25
His ways are true and just, though hidden from thy sight. Psalm 77:19
How wilt thou wonder soon, when past are fears and doubt— Romans 11:33
Thy darkness turned to noon, His purposes worked out. Ephesians 1:11
And though His comfort stay, His help be slowly wrought, 2 Corinthians 1:8-9
As though He turned away, as though He loved Thee not: Habakkuk 2:3
And though thou sink awhile in darkness and in pain, Romans 8:18
As though He would not smile, nor show thee light again: Isaiah 50:10
He will not always chide, but when the hope seems least, 1 Peter 1:6
If still thy faith abide, then shalt thou be released. Luke 22:32
And when thy trust is proved, the grief that harmed thee not 1 Corinthians 10:13
Shall wholly be removed, thy full deliverance wrought. 2 Cor. 1:10
Will God forsake His own? His own—His child art thou; 1 John5:1
The glory and the crown by faith are given thee now. Revelation 1:6
Our God shall set the palm within thy hand as last, Romans 8:37
How sweet shall be thy psalm when all thy grief is past! Psalm 126:5
Act, word, and thought shall praise the Lord Who goes before, John 10:4
To guide us in our ways, our Shepherd evermore. Hebrews 13:20
O keep us faithful God!—still faithful to Thy love; Jude 20-21
So earth’s dark rugged road shall lead to heaven above. Hebrews 10:36
Many have considered Paul Gerhardt to have been Germany’s greatest hymn writer, and many of his rich hymns have been translated into English. Many of the details of his life are very uncertain, but the remarkable details related to the above hymn are known.
Paul Gerhardt was born in a village of Saxony in early 1607. The village records were burned in the Thirty Years War which began when he was about twelve years old. Educated at Wittenberg University, he became an esteemed Lutheran pastor. In 1666, he was commanded to leave his pastorate in Berlin by the king. He replied submissively, saying, “I am willing to seal with my blood the evangelical truth, and offer my neck to the sword.” Consequently, he and his wife and children were homeless for two years.
One evening, destitute and weary, they entered an inn. The children slept; but Paul’s wife wept. He sought to comfort her with Psalm 37:5. Later that evening, outside under the stars, as he had done many times before, Paul committed himself, his wife, his family and their needs to the Lord. As he did so, the words of the above hymn came to him, and he wrote them down for his wife’s comfort as well as his own. Then he retired to rest.
His rest was shortly shattered by a loud knocking at the door of the inn. There was a mounted messenger from Duke Christian. He was looking for Paul Gerhardt, with the good news that Duke Christian had heard of Paul’s hardship and had invited him to come and to preach at Lubben in Spreewald, where a home and a living were to be provided for him and his family. God had brought it to pass! Paul gratefully spent the remaining ten years of his life laboring in Lubben.
The above version is believed to be only one of several English translations of the original German hymn made in the past 400 years. Who added the Scripture references is not known; but the encouraging verses referenced are well worth memorizing, along with the hymn. For more about Paul Gerhardt, read Sketches of the Quiet in the Land by Frances Bevan (published by Bible Truth Publishers).
JAK