This hymn was written by Lutheran an famous author of Lutheran evangelical hymns, Paul Gerhardt (1607-1676), and was later translated by John Wesley. Gerhardt’s hymn is a Lutheran acrostic, and Wesley makes no attempt to follow that (the omission of stanzas, and the change of language, would have made it impossible). The translation was first published in Hymns and Sacred Poems in 1739, with the title ‘Trust in Providence. From the German.’ Gerhardt experienced much suffering in his life; he and his parishioners lived in the era of the Thirty Years’ War, and his family experienced incredible tragedy: four of his five children died young, and his wife died after a prolonged illness. In the history of hymnody Gerhardt is considered a transitional figure-he wrote at a time when hymns were changing from a more objective, confessional, and corporate focus to a pietistic, devotional, and personal one1.
Commit thou all thy griefs
And ways into His hands,
To His sure truth and tender care,
Who earth and heaven commands.
Who points the clouds their course,
Whom winds and seas obey,
He shall direct thy wandering feet,
He shall prepare thy way.
Thou on the Lord rely,
So safe, shalt thou go on;
Fix on His work thy steadfast eye,
So shall thy work be done.
No profit canst thou gain
By self-consuming care;
To Him commend thy cause, His ear
Attends the softest prayer.
Thy everlasting truth,
Father, Thy ceaseless love,
Sees all Thy children’s wants, and knows
What best for each will prove.
Thou everywhere hast sway,
And all things serve Thy might,
Thy every at pure blessing is,
Thy path unsullied light.
1hymnary.org/text/commit_thou_all_thy_griefs
Hymn of the Day 