Gott wills machen

Here is my translation of the Christian Life / Resignation hymn, “Gott wills machen” (Johann Daniel Herrnschmidt, d. 1723), Ev.-Luth. Gsb #515, first apearing in Freylinghausen 1704. The hymn is based on the Gospel for Epiphany IV, Matt. 8:23–27. In Freylinghausen, the melody is “Seelenweide, meine Freude,” but elsewhere it appears with a proper melody. Besides my translation, I include that of J. C. Jacobi, Psalmody Translated . . . Supplement (1765), ed. 1767, p. 63–65, which merges stanzas 12-13, evidently, to render the hymn one stanza shorter. I give the melody as it appears there.

 

GOD desireth
What transpireth
To a blessed end to turn.
Let th’ alarming
Waves be storming,
Wilt thou Jesus near discern.

2 He that grieveth
And believeth
Jesus doth in slumber lie,
Only bringeth
What more stingeth—
Unbelief’s reprisal—nigh.

3 Thou despiser,
Be thou wiser!
God thy Keeper slumbers not.
Look up even
Unto heaven,
As in Christian faith we ought.

4 God may tarry
Or may hurry,
Yet His heart remaineth true
As a Father’s.
What thee bothers
And offends, aggrieves Him too.

5 Trust but surely
That what’s purely
For thy good has been decreed.
Wilt thou try it,
Only quiet
Thy own will; from cares be freed!

6 Count thee blessed,
When thou’rt kissèd
By the rod of Jesus sweet.
He who holds it
And controls it
Thereby brings forth fruit replete.

7 Dost thou waver,
Doubting ever?
Let it go and find relief:
Let Him sorrow,
Who tomorrow
Still is Lord of joy and grief.

8 God has treasure
Without measure,
Lo, His hands are infinite.
Nothing pressing
Or distressing
Can surpass or match His might.

9 He who ponders
God’s great wonders
Kindling finds that faith ignites.
All God doeth
Well pursueth
What He wills, what Him delights.

10 In due season,
’Gainst all reason,
God’s help breaks in mightily,
Quickly turning
All thy mourning
Into joy thou didst not see.

11 Grief aplenty
Will be lent thee
If thy own will thou wouldst do;
Plague and trouble
Will be double,
Adding cares to crosses too.

12 Blest are lowly
Souls who solely
Long to still their selfish will!
Whom God giveth
Will, receiveth
Pow’r, His pleasure to fulfill.

13 Those more prize we
Acting wisely
And already training here,
To whom sadness
Yea, and gladness
As to Job’s own eye, appear.

14 Undespairing,
Sorrows bearing,
Patient to thy trophy win;
He who shunneth
Grief, but runneth
Into heaps of guilt of sin.

15 Those who, turning,
Come to scorning
Christ their Bridegroom’s token bright,
End up quickly
In the sickly
Heaps of sin to left and right.

16 But those keeping
Still, and weeping,
As the yoke of Christ they kiss
Shall be given
Crowns in heaven
At the Savior’s throne of bliss.

17 Be it ever
In the Savior,
And His name Amen, Amen!
Be His holy
Will done solely,
What He wills, and how, and when!

Translation © 2023 Matthew Carver.

 J. C. JACOBI:

GOD will make it,
Canst thou take it,
Things shall have a blessed end;
Let the crossing
Waves be tossing,
Keep but close to Christ thy Friend.

2 He that’s shrinking
Whilst he’s thinking,
Christ neglects his pain and grief;
Shall with haring
Doubts and caring
Pay dear for his unbelief.

3 Thou neglecter, thy Protector
Never slept nor slumbered yet;
Fix thine eye on
Blessed Sion,
That keeps faith and hope discreet.

4 His retarding
Of rewarding
Doth not change His loving heart;
Be thy whining
Ne’er so pining,
Sure He knows thy bitt’rest smart.

5 Trust thou rather,
God thy Father
Thy salvation has decreed;
Resignation
Of thy station
Finds redress in time of need.

6 Suck thou sweetness
From the kisses
Of thy Savior’s saving rod;
He that guides it
And provides it,
Doth not hurt, but lead to God.

7 Will thy quav’ring
Thoughts be wav’ring,
Cast them all into His hand,
Who tomorrow’s
Joys and sorrows
Still has at his sole Command.

8 He, thy Sov’reign,
All doth govern,
His great pow’rs of vast extent;
Of thy crosses
And thy losses
He knows when to make an end.

9 His great wonders
Are the tinder,
Where our faith is catching light;
All His actions and directions
Prove His wisdom infinite.

10 When His season
Comes, thy reason
Finds His helping hand is nigh,
And to shame thee
Of thy frailty
’Twill come unexpectedly.

11 Self-willed choosing
Or refusing
Seeks in all its interest;
But when forcing
Must’s endorsing,
High complaints break out at last.

12/13 Far more blessed
All distressèd,
Who resign to Jesus’ will;
Who in sadness
And in gladness
With Job’s mind run parallel.

14 Cast with patience
All vexations
In the blood thy Savior spilt;
Who’ll be shifting
Trials sifting,
Doth but multiply his guilt.

15 Who’re refusing
Christ was choosing,
And left as His prime command,
Shall with terror
See their error,
When they’re placed at His left hand.

16 But the lovers
And improvers
Of their Savior’s easy yoke,
Shall with pleasure
Gain the treasure
Of their ever-living rock.

17 Amen, Amen,
In the name, then,
Of my Jesus I’ll be still;
Be His going and His doing
Where, how, when, and what He will.

GERMAN

Gott wills machen,
daß die Sachen
gehen, wie es heilsam ist.
Laß die Wellen
sich verstellen,
wenn du nur bei Jesu bist.

2 Wer sich kränket,
weil er denket
Jesus liege in dem Schlaf,
wird mit Klagen,
nur sich plagen,
daß der Unglaub leide Straf.

3 Du Verächter,
Gott, dein Wächter,
schläfet ja noch schlummert nicht.
Zu den Höhen
auf zusehen,
wäre deines Glaubens Pflicht.

4 Im Verweilen
und im Eilen
bleibt er stets ein Vaterherz
laß dein Weinen
bitter scheinen,
dein Schmerz ist ihm auch ein Schmerz.

5 Glaub nur feste,
Daß das Beste
über dich beschlossen sei,
Wann dein Wille
nur ist stille;
wirst du von dem Kummer frei.

6 Laß dir süße
sein die Küsse,
die dir Jesus Rute giebt.
Der sie führet
und regieret,
hat nie ohne Frucht betrübt.

7 Willst du wanken
in Gedanken;
fall in die Gelassenheit.
Laß den sorgen,
der auch morgen
Herr ist über Leid und Freud.

8 Gottes Hände
sind ohn Ende,
sein Vermögen hat kein Ziel.
Ist's beschwerlich,
scheint's gefährlich;
deinem Gott ist nichts zu viel.

9 Seine Wunder
sind der Zunder,
da der Glaube Funken fängt.
Alle Thaten
sind geraten
jedesmal, wie ers verhängt.

10 Wenn die Stunden
sich gefunden,
bricht die Hülf mit Macht herein;
und dein Grämen
zu beschämen
wird es unversehens sein.

11 Eignen Willen
zu erfüllen,
leidet sichs noch ziemlich wohl:
da ist Plage,
Noth und Klage,
wo man leiden muß und soll.

12 Drum wohl denen,
die sich sehnen
nach der stillen Willensruh:
auf das Wollen
fällt dem Sollen
die Vollbringungskraft bald zu.

13 Mehr zu preisen
sind die Weisen,
die schon in der Uebung stehn:
die das Leiden
und die Freuden
nur mit Hiobs Aug ansehn.

14 Nun, so trage
deine Plage
fein getrost und mit Geduld.
Wer das Leiden
will vermeiden,
häufet seine Sündenschuld.

15 Die da weichen
und das Zeichen
ihres Bräutigams verschmähn,
müssen laufen
zu den Haufen,
die zur linken Seiten stehn.

16 Aber denen,
die mit Thränen
küssen ihres Jesu Joch,
wird die Krone
auf dem Throne,
ihres Heilands werden noch.

17 Amen, Amen!
in der Namen
meines Jesu halt ich still;
es geschehe
und ergehe,
wie und wann und was er will.