Singing at rugby matches is a time-honored tradition in Wales. Rugby players and fans alike join in a robust rendition of their national anthem prior to the game. They also belt out “Bread of Heaven” as part of the pre-match singing ritual. You may know the hymn by its more familiar title, “Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah.” Watching seventy thousand fans in a stadium sing this time-honored hymn stirs me deeply. It’s one of the most well-known, enduring hymns written by a Welshman.
William Williams (1717-1791) first aspired to become a doctor, but after his conversion at age nineteen, he resolved to share the gospel with his homeland. He became an itinerant Methodist preacher, travelling the rugged terrain of Wales on horseback. When someone challenged Williams to write new songs for use in worship, he responded with eight hundred hymns over his course of his life.
“Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah” was originally titled “Strength to Pass Through the Wilderness” when William composed it in 1765. The hymn was clearly autobiographical. Over the course of his forty-three-year itinerant ministry, William traveled one hundred thousand miles preaching and setting up Methodist societies. His hymn recalls Israel’s forty-year sojourn through the wilderness. Every phrase is lifted from Scripture. “Bread of Heaven” refers to the manna from heaven God provided in the desert. “Crystal Fountain” recalls the water that flowed from the rock Moses struck with his staff. “The fire and cloudy pillar” evoke memories of the cloud by day and fire by night God provided to guide Israel to the Promised Land. The hymn, written as a prayer, calls to mind our “Strong Deliverer” who can “bid our anxious fears subside.”