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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 hymn first appeared in a hymn book with the title of Alleluia, published by William Williams in Bristol, England, in 1745. It was a poem of five verses with six lines each and had the title of “Strength to Pass through the Wilderness.” In 1771, it was published translated into English by Peter Williams, but it only had verses 1, 3 and 5. A year later the hymn appeared translated from the family of the author using the first verse translated by Peter William but followed by verses 3 and 4, with a new fourth verse added. It was then included in the hymnbook William Williams assembled for use by George Whitefield’s orphanage in America (about 1772), Gloria in Excelsis. In 1774, the hymn was translated by W. Evans into English and published in George Whitefield’s hymnbook in England. There it became the favorite of Calvinist-Methodists and it appears today in a very similar form, and is a favorite in just about all Christian groups.
In 1785, the Countess of Huntington, Selina, founded a college to train young men for the ministry. For the opening of the college, she asked Rev. William Williams to come sing a hymn for the occasion. He sang this hymn to inspire the young men, and he sung it to his own tune. Williams then printed the hymn on leaflets with the following title:
A Favorite Hymn sung by Lady Huntingdon’s Young Collegians
Printed by the desire of many Christian friends.
Lord, give it Thy blessing!
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!
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The last verse of the hymn that is generally not used is:
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Sources
Kathreen Blanchard, Stories of Beautiful Hymns (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1942), pp. 42, 43.
David R. Breed, The History and Use of Hymns and Hymn-Tunes (Chicago: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1903) pp. 122-125.
John Brownlie, The Hymns and Hymn Writers of the Church Hymnary (London: Henry Frowde, 1899), pp. 160, 161.
Hezekiah Butterworth, The Story of the Hymns or Hymns that Have a History (New York: American Tract Society, 1875), pp. 30-34.
Paul Eckert, Steve Green's MIDI Hymnal: A Complete Toolkit for Personal Devotions and Corporate Worship, electronic ed. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1998).
Edwin M. Long, Illustrated History of Hymns and their Authors (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: P.W. Ziegler & Co., 1876), pp. 490-493.
LindaJo H. McKim, The Presbyterian Hymnal Companion (Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1993), p. 281.
Robert J. Morgan, Nelson's Complete Book of Stories, Illustrations, and Quotes, electronic ed. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2000), p. 372.
Kenneth W. Osbeck, 101 Hymn Stories (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Kregel Publications, 1982), p. 81.
Kenneth W. Osbeck, Amazing Grace: 366 Inspiring Hymn Stories for Daily Devotions (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Kregel Publications, 1990), p. 13.
J.E. Prescott, Christian Hymns and Hymn Writers (Cambridge: Deighton, Bell and Co., 1883), pp. 196, 197.
Helen Salem Rizk, Stories of the Christian Hymns (Cincinnati, Ohio: Abingdon Press, 1986), pp. 13-14.
Ira D. Sankey, My Life and the Story of the Gospel Hymns and of Sacred Songs and Solos (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The Sunday School Times Company, 1907), p. 363.
W.T. Stead, Hymns that have Helped (New York: Doubleday, Page & Company, 1904), pp. 109, 110.
