Thy Way, Not Mine, O Lord

Melody - "Ich halte treulich still", from the Musikalisches Gesangbuch, Leipzig, 1736; Seq. by Richard Jordan

Horatius Bonar, 1857

Thy way, not mine, O Lord,
However dark it be.
Lead me by Thine own hand;
Choose Thou the path for me.
I dare not choose my lot;
I would not if I might.
Choose Thou for me, my God;
So shall I walk aright.

2. Choose Thou for me my friends,
My sickness or my health;
Choose Thou my cares for me,
My poverty or wealth.
Not mine, not mine, the choice,
In things or great or small;
Be Thou my Guide, my Strength,
My Wisdom, and my All.

Original, 1857

class="colonne">Thy way, not mine, O Lord,
However dark it be.
Lead me by Thine own hand;
Choose Thou the path for me.

2. Smooth let it be or rough,
It will be still the best;
Winding or straight, it leads
Right onward to Thy rest.

3. I dare not choose my lot;
I would not if I might.
Choose Thou for me, my God;
So shall I walk aright.

4. The kingdom that I seek
Is Thine; so let the way
That leads to it be Thine
Else I must surely stray.

5. Take Thou my cup and it
With joy or sorrow fill,
As best to Thee may seem;
Choose Thou my good and ill.

6. Choose Thou for me my friends,
My sickness or my health;
Choose Thou my cares for me,
My poverty or wealth.

7. Not mine, not mine, the choice,
In things or great or small;
Be Thou my Guide, my Strength,
My Wisdom, and my All.

Supposedly a translation from a German hymn.

For the 1916 Episcopal Hymnal version, use the bottom one, combine verses 1 and 2, 3 and 5, 6 and 7.

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