Guide me O Thou Great Jehovah

William Williams                   1745       Guide me, O thou great Jehovah,  pilgrim through this barren land.  I am weak, but thou art mighty;  hold me with thy powerful hand.  Bread of heaven, bread of heaven,  feed me till I want no more;  feed me till I want no more.  Open now the crystal fountain,  whence the healing stream doth flow;  let the fire and cloudy pillar  lead me all my journey through.  Strong deliverer, strong deliverer,  be thou still my strength and shield;  be thou still my strength and shield.  When I tread the verge of Jordan,  bid my anxious fears subside;  death of death and hell's destruction,  land me safe on Canaan's side.  Songs of praises, songs of praises,  I will ever give to thee;  I will ever give to thee.  Williams had heard a sermon in 1738 that was to change the rest of his life. The sermon was by a Welsh layman, Howell Harris, who had been influenced by the Methodist movement in England. It was by this sermon that Williams discerned the call into ministry. After becoming a deacon in 1740, he quickly realized that his calling was itinerant, and left his small curacy in the mountains to join the travelling Methodist preachers. As the Welsh language was lacking in hymns, Harris put a competition together between the different preachers of the day. Williams poetic abilities flourished and were brought to life, resulting in many much loved hymns that we sing today.