Wer nur den lieben Gott lässt walten ... [Georg Neumark +8.7.1681]

If you will only let God guide you,
And hope in Him through all your ways,
Whatever comes, He’ll stand beside you,
To bear you through the evil days;
Who trusts in God’s unchanging love
Builds on the Rock that cannot move.

Only be still, and wait His leisure
In cheerful hope, with heart content
To take whatever the Father’s pleasure
And all discerning love have sent;
Nor doubt our inmost wants are known
To Him Who chose us for His own.

Sing, pray, and swerve not from His ways,
But do your part in conscience true;
Trust His rich promises of grace,
So shall they be fulfilled in you;
God hears the call of those in need,
The souls that trust in Him indeed.

Wer nur den lieben Gott lässt walten
Und hoffet auf ihn allezeit,
Den wird er wunderbar erhalten
In aller Not und Traurigkeit.
Wer Gott, dem Allerhöchsten, traut,
Der hat auf keinen Sand gebaut.

Man halte nur ein wenig stille
Und sei doch in sich selbst vergnügt,
Wie unsers Gottes Gnadenwille,
Wie sein Allwissenheit es fügt,
Gott, der uns ihm hat auserwählt,
Der weiss am besten, was uns felt.

Er kennt die rechten Freudenstunden,
Er weiss wohl, was uns nützlich sei:
Wenn err uns nur hat treu erfunden
Und merket keine Heuchelei,
So kommt Gott, er wir’s uns versehn,
Und lässet uns viel Guts geschehn.

Sing, bet und geh auf Gottes Wegen,
Verricht das Deine nur getreu
Und trau des Himmels reichem Segen,
So wird er bei dir werden neu;
Denn welcher seine Zuversicht,
Auf Gott setzt, den verlässt er nicht.

Words: Georg Neu­mark, 1641 (Wer nur den lie­ben Gott lässt wal­ten); first pub­lished in his Fort­ge­pflantz­er mu­sik­al­isch-po­et­isch­er Lust­wald (Je­na, Ger­ma­ny: 1657). Ca­ther­ine Wink­worth trans­lat­ed the words from Ger­man to Eng­lish in 1855, and pub­lished them in the Cho­rale Book for Eng­land, 1863.
Music: Neumark, Georg Neu­mark, 1641 (MI­DI, score). The tune is said to have been used for 400 dif­fer­ent hymns.

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Winkworth’s original translation:

If thou but suffer God to guide thee
And hope in Him through all thy ways,
He’ll give thee strength, whate’er betide thee,
And bear thee through the evil days.
Who trust in God’s unchanging love
Builds on the rock that naught can move.
What can these anxious cares avail thee
These never ceasing moans and sighs?
What can it help if thou bewail thee
O’er each dark moment as it flies?
Our cross and trials do but press
The heavier for our bitterness.
Be patient and await His leisure
In cheerful hope, with heart content
To take whatever thy Father’s pleasure
And His discerning love hath sent,
Nor doubt our inmost want are known
To Him who chose us for His own.
God knows full well when time of gladness
Shall be the needful thing for thee.
When He has tried thy soul with sadness
And from all guile has found thee free,
He comes to thee all unaware
And makes thee own His loving care.
Nor think amid the fiery trial
That God hath cast thee off unheard,
That he whose hopes meet no denial
Must surely be of God preferred.
Time passes and much change doth bring
And set a bound to everything.
All are alike before the Highest:
’Tis easy for our God, We know,
To raise thee up, though low thou liest,
To make the rich man poor and low.
True wonders still by Him are wrought
Who setteth up and brings to naught.
Sing, pray, and keep His ways unswerving,
Perform thy duties faithfully,
And trust His Word: though undeserving,
Thou yet shalt find it true for thee.
God never yet forsook in need
The soul that trusted Him indeed.