Fear was not part of God’s creation as first established in the Garden of Eden. Harmony existed between every part of the created order, each with the other and also with the Divine Designer. There were no storms in nature to cause fear. Since death only came after the fall, we assume there was no fear among animals, terrified at the possibility of being eaten by predators (who were apparently all initially vegetarians). And there was no fear on the part of animals toward Adam, as he named them. There was no fear between the initial human couple toward one another. And there was no fear (other than the healthy attitude of reverence, sometimes called “fearing the Lord”) in the hearts of Adam and Eve toward the Lord.
But, oh how sin has changed all that! Ever since the fall, there has been fear throughout creation: fear about the destructive powers of nature’s floods, earthquakes, volcanos, and tornados; fear between the large predators and small prey in the animal kingdom; wild animals fearing the approach of human beings; fear of residents about criminal elements threatening them and their families; people fearing the potential harm from diseases like cancers and strokes; as well as fear caused by the ravages of war, from bombings and starvation and tyrannical dictatorships. Fear is an inevitable result of the terrible effect of sin on God’s perfect creation.
In His true human nature, Jesus experienced a form of fear as the cross approached. Dr. Luke records Him sweating great drops of blood in Gethsemane (Luke 22:4), and Hebrews 5:7 tells us that “in the days of His flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to Him who was able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverence.” We learn from that that while fear is a result of sin, fear itself is not sinful. What’s sinful is to give in to fear by failing to cast all our cares on Him who cares for us (1 Peter 5:7).
And so, difficult times occur in the lives and communities of God’s people because this is a fallen world. Classic official continental reformed confessions point us to the sovereign providence of God and to His goodness, wisdom, and faithfulness as the solid ground on which we can stand when everything seems so fearful and unstable.
The Belgic Confession, Article 15 teaches that “…by the disobedience of Adam original sin has been spread through the whole human race…a corruption of the whole human nature…” As a result, God’s people are “guilty and subject to physical and spiritual death, having become wicked, perverse, and corrupt in all [our] ways” (Article 14). In addition, “The devils and evil spirits are so corrupt that they are enemies of God and of everything good. They lie in wait for the church and every member of it like thieves, with all their power, to destroy and spoil everything by their deceptions” (Article 12).
A publication of the Christian Reformed Church, “Our World Belongs to God,” continues to affirm that “God has not abandoned the work of his hands,” nevertheless “our world, fallen into sin, has lost its first goodness…” (paragraph 4). And now “all spheres of life—family and friendship, work and worship school and state, play and art—bear the wounds of our rebellion” (paragraph 16).
Yet, in a fallen world, God’s providential care is the source of great assurance, comfort and strength. Through these thoughts, our trust in God is inspired.
The Belgic Confession, Article 13 is a reminder that God’s providence reassures us that God leads and governs all in this world “according to his holy will…nothing happens in this world without his orderly arrangement.” Further, this Confession identifies that this “gives us unspeakable comfort since it teaches us that nothing can happen to us by chance but only by the arrangement of our gracious heavenly Father, who watches over us with fatherly care…in this thought we rest.”
The Belgic Confession, Article 13, is a reminder that much is beyond human understanding and so “we do not wish to inquire with undue curiosity into what God does that surpasses human understanding and is beyond our ability to comprehend.”
In the Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 9, Question and Answer 26 we testify that we “trust God so much that [we] do not doubt that he will provide whatever [we] need for body and soul and will turn to [our] good whatever adversity he sends upon [us] in this sad world.”
In the Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 10, Question and Answer 28, we are assured that through our trust in the providence of God we can have “good confidence in our faithful God and Father that nothing in creation will separate us from his love.”
When we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we ask not to be brought into the time of trial but rescued from evil. In doing so we ask that the Lord will “uphold us and make us strong with the strength of Your Holy Spirit so that we may not go down to defeat in this spiritual struggle…” (Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 52, Question and Answer 127)
The Belgic Confession, Article 26 speaks about the intercession of Christ as the ascended Lord. “We have no access to God except through the one and only Mediator and Intercessor, Jesus Christ the Righteous.” We, therefore, do not offer our prayers as though saints could be our intercessor, nor do we offer them on the “basis of our own dignity but only on the basis of the excellence and dignity of Jesus Christ, whose righteousness is ours by faith.”
Because Jesus Christ is our sympathetic High Priest, we approach the throne “in full assurance of faith.” No greater assurance can be found than that expressed in Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 1, Question and Answer 1: “I am not my own by I belong—body and soul, in life and in death—to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.”
We find the same kind of assurances in presbyterian confessions, like Westminster. The Shorter Catechism gives this well-known definition of providence in the fourth question and answer. “God’s works of providence are His most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all His creatures and all their actions.” And in the last paragraph of the Westminster Confession of Faith’s chapter on providence (number 5), we have this more objective statement, in contrast to the more warm and personal manner of the statements in Heidelberg. “As the providence of God doth, in general, reach to all creatures; so, after a most special manner, it taketh care of His Church, and disposeth all things to the good thereof.” And so we can refuse to give in to fear by trusting that our loving, wise, and powerful Heavenly Father is directing all things for our good and His glory.
One kind of fear has been generated during times of opposition and persecution of believers. It wasn’t just in the Catholic persecutions of the 16th century (like those martyred during the reign of “Bloody Mary” in England). The 17th century was also a time of major political and spiritual upheaval. In that century after the Reformation, persecution and war and disease and famine took millions of lives, especially during the tragic “Thirty Years War” in Germany. During those three decades, 1618 to 1648, it is estimated that as many as eight million people died. And countless more struggled with the psychological and emotional heartache of trying to trust God when His purposes seemed so hard to understand. But in every age, even our own, there are pressures brought against us in this fallen world, pressures which drive us to cast all our cares on the one who cares for us (1 Peter 5:7).
It was during those kinds of difficulties of the 17th century that so many strong hymns were written about the providence of God. During the 16th century, in those first decades of the Reformation it was hymns about justification that proliferated. It was in the 17th century that providence became such a dominant theme in the church’s hymn repertoire. Both themes continue to be essential to a stable doctrinal outlook on life, providing biblical answers that keep us secure with our eyes focused on the Lord.
One great example of such a hymn of providence is “Give to the Winds Thy Fears” (sometimes translated by a later stanza in another translation, “Commit Now All Thy Griefs’). It was published in 1656 by the great German hymn writer, Paul Gerhardt (1607-1678). The English version used today was translated from the German almost a century later, in 1737) by the great English evangelist John Wesley (1703-1791).
The progression of this hymn from its original to what is found in present hymnals is a matter of shifting numbers, subtraction and division. The 1656 original had twelve eight-line stanzas (96 lines in total). Wesley’s 1737 translation reduced this to sixteen four-line stanzas (64 lines). Present versions of the hymn select from these, and often include only four.
Gerhardt was born the son of Christian Gerhardt, burgomaster of Gräfenhaynichen, near Wittenberg. On January 2, 1628, he matriculated at the University of Wittenberg. In the registers of St. Mary’s church, Wittenberg, his name appears as a godfather. On July 13, 1641, he matriculated at the University of Wittenberg. In the registers of St. Mary’s church, Wittenberg, his name appears as a godfather, on July 13, 1641, described still as “studiosus,” and he seems to have remained in Wittenberg till at least the end of April, 1642. He appears to have gone to Berlin in 1642 or 1643, and was there for some time (certainly after 1648) a tutor in the house of the advocate Andreas Barthold, whose daughter, Anna Maria, became his wife in 1655. During this period he seems to have frequently preached in Berlin, where he became friends with Johann Crüger (1598-1662), another very famous name in the history of Lutheran hymnody.
He served the Lutheran parish of Mittenwalde near Berlin (1651-1657) and the great St. Nicholas’ Church in Berlin (1657-1666). Friederich William, the Calvinist elector, had issued an edict that forbade the various Protestant groups to fight each other. Although Gerhardt did not want strife between the churches, he refused to comply with the edict because he thought it opposed the Lutheran “Formula of Concord,” which condemned some Calvinist doctrines. Consequently, he was released from his position in Berlin in 1666. With the support of friends he became archdeacon at Lubben in 1669 and remained there until his death.
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, in that he wrote at a time when hymns were changing from a more objective, confessional, and corporate focus to a pietistic, devotional, and personal one. Like other German hymns, Gerhardt’s were lengthy and intended for use throughout a service, a group of stanzas at a time. More than 130 of his hymns were published in various editions of Cruger’s “Praxis Pietatis Melica.” John Wesley and Catherine Winkworth both made famous English translations of Gerhardt’s texts.
Gerhardt ranks, next to Luther, as the most gifted and popular hymnwriter of the Lutheran Church. George Gottfriend Gervinus, the well-known nineteenth-century historian of German literature, thus characterized him with these words.
He went back to Luther’s most genuine type of hymn in such manner as no one else had done, only so far modified as the requirements of his time demanded. In Luther’s time the belief in Free Grace and the work of the Atonement, in Redemption and the bursting of the gates of Hell was the inspiration of his joyful confidence; with Gerhardt it is the belief in the Love of God. With Luther the old wrathful God of the Romanists assumed the heavenly aspect of grace and mercy; with Gerhardt the merciful Righteous One is a gentle loving Man. Like the old poets of the people he is sincerely and unconstrainedly pious, naive, and hearty; the bliss fulness of his faith makes him benign and amiable; in his way of writing he is as attractive, simple, and pleasing as in his way of thinking.
From the first publication of Gerhardt’s 132 hymns, they at once came into favor among all ranks and creeds, and a large proportion are among the hymns most cherished and most widely used by German-speaking Christians at the present day. “Give to the Winds Your Fears” was inspired by the encouraging words of Psalm 37:5. “Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.”
The story behind the hymn illustrates this. Because of that conflict with the king, Paul Gerhardt was forced unfairly to leave the church in Berlin where he had ministered for ten years. With his wife and family, he made his way, on foot, back to Saxony where he was born. It was a sad and wearying journey. The family stopped at a little village inn to spend the night. Totally exhausted, his wife gave way to tears of grief. They had no home and no income. What were they going to do? The good pastor did his best to comfort her. Some say he quoted to her Proverbs 3:5-6, but others are more inclined to believe it was Psalm 37:5 that he used. He himself was greatly comforted by the words of the text, and he sat down and wrote the words to this hymn.
Later that evening, two men entered the parlor of the inn. After some general conversation, it came out that they were on their way to Berlin to find Paul Gerhardt, the recently deposed pastor. Mrs. Gerhardt turned pale with alarm, fearing some new calamity was about to fall on the family. But her husband calmly told the travelers that he was the man they were looking for. One of them promptly gave him a letter from Duke Christian, of Merseburg, informing him that, in view of his unjust dismissal he was settling a pension on him. Gerhardt, in the joy of that moment, quietly turned to his wife, and passed to her the hymn he had written, saying, “See! See how God provides!”
The English translation of the original German that is found in western hymnals today comes from
John Wesley (1703-1791). He immersed himself the hymns of the Moravians while sailing to Georgia in October 1735. While on board the ship, the Moravians practiced their “Singstunde” (singing meetings). The first stanza of this hymn may have been a comfort to Wesley during the stormy voyage to Georgia. Even before his Aldersgate conversion in 1738, Wesley began translating German hymns and included some in the 1737 “Collection of Psalms and Hymns” published in Charlestown, the first hymnal published in the American colonies. This particular hymn was first published in Wesley’s “Hymns and Sacred Poems” (1739) in 16 stanzas in four lines apiece under the heading “Trust in Providence. From the German.”
Biblical truths about God’s providence are not only found in John’s translations of German hymns, but also in many of the original English language hymns of his brother, Charles Wesley (1707-1788). “Give to the Winds Thy Fears” would surely have given strength to the two as they traveled a quarter of a million miles on horseback (!), preaching the gospel of the new birth in Christ, often despite opposition from local clergy. Hymnologist Albert Bailey describes one such incident that happened in Devizes in February 1747: “The mob opposition was worked up by the local Anglican clergyman who went from house to house to make the absurd charge that he heard Charles preach blasphemy at the University. When the crowd got underway, the leaders proved to be led by ‘the chief gentleman of the town,’ accompanied by ‘the jealous curate, dancing for joy.’ They surrounded the house where Wesley and his aides were staying, they broke the windows, ripped off the shutters and drove the horses into the pond. Next day they got out the fire engine and deluged the house in which Wesley had taken refuge, flooding all the rooms and ruining the stock-in-trade of the shopkeeper on the street floor. Local leaders of the Methodist Society were ducked in the pond.”
Though the circumstances that Gerhardt and the Wesleys faced were different, this hymn served as a source of comfort for two influential leaders in two different cultures, languages and centuries, reflecting the calm assurance believers have in scriptural promises like these. “Cast your burden on the LORD, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.” “Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).
There have been multiple versions of translations, including Wesley’s. Here is a widely quoted setting found in hymnals today. The hymn mentions several things which God does to help deliver us from our fears.
Stanza 1 says that He lifts up our heads. What a great, vivid imagery this is, to give our fears to the winds, for them to blow away! While the word “fear” is used by the Bible in both a good and a bad sense, the song obviously is using it to mean things that make us afraid or terrified (2 Timothy 1:7). Gerhardt’s expression of human sighs and tears is very real and honest. But especially then, when our heads are bowed in sorrow, the Lord promises that He will lift them up (Psalm 3:3-4). This stanza seems to allude also to Proverbs 3:5-6, that if we trust in the Lord with all our heart, leaning not on our own understanding, but acknowledge Him in all our ways, then He will make our paths straight. Thus, our night will end in joyous day (Psalm 30:5).
Give to the winds thy fears,
Hope and be undismayed.
God hears thy sighs and counts thy tears,
God shall lift up thy head.
Through waves and clouds and storms,
He gently clears thy way;
Wait thou His time; so shall this night
Soon end in joyous day.
Stanza 2 says that He makes bare His arm, an arm of infinite power, directed by infinite love and wisdom. His Word assures us that “all things serve His might,” because He formed and controls all things (Proverbs 26:10 and Ephesians 1:11). Therefore, He will make bare His arm for all to see in His perfect time (Isaiah 52:10). None can stop Him from accomplishing His purposes (Isaiah 14:24-26). The purpose of this is to defend His people’s cause (Zechariah 9:15), which should give us renewed courage, strength, and patience as we trust Him.
He everywhere hath sway,
And all things serve His might,
His every act pure blessing is,
His path unsullied light;
When He makes bare His arm,
What shall His work withstand?
When He His people’s cause defends,
Who, who shall stay His hand?
Stanza 3 says that He sits on the throne as the one who rules over all things. Sometimes our spirits are indeed cast down and disquieted, and many of the Psalms even give us the words to pray when we find ourselves in those moments (Psalm 42:5). In such times we can “bid every care begone” by casting our burdens on the Lord (Psalm 55:22). This is possible because God still sits on His throne and rules over the nations (Psalm 47:8). Gerhardt’s reference that “though thou rulest not” cannot mean that he didn’t think God was ruling now, since he says just the opposite! No, this is the reminder that none of us (we are the “thou” in that phrase) are ruling, which is good news!
Still heavy is thy heart?
Still sinks thy spirit down?
Cast off the world, let fear depart
Bid every care begone.
What though thou rulest not;
Yet heaven, and earth, and hell
Proclaim, God sitteth on the throne,
And ruleth all things well.
Stanza 4 says that He wisely counsels us with wisdom that is as perfect and infinite as are all His other attributes. We should “leave to His sovereign sway” everything about which we are tempted to fear by saying, “If the Lord wills” (James 4:15). As we sing in another hymn, He is “immortal, invisible, God only wise,” the one who is worthy not only of our worship, but also of our trust. This is because all of God’s works have been made in wisdom (Psalm 104:24). Therefore it is always best to look to Him for counsel (Psalm 33:10-11), and to be patient, knowing that :far, far above all thought, His counsel shall appear, when fully He the worth hath wrought, that caused thy needless fear.” In other words, when we see in the future what He was doing in those confusing moments, it will all make sense to us.
Leave to His sovereign sway
To choose and to command;
So shalt thou, wondering, own that way,
How wise, how strong this hand.
Far, far above thy thought,
His counsel shall appear,
When fully He the work hath wrought,
That caused thy needless fear.
Stanza 5 says that He sees our weakness. We immediately recognize this as based on that statement in Psalm 103:14 that God sees our weaknesses because He sees our frame and remembers that we are dust. He will help us to strengthen our hands which sink down and when our feeble knees grow weak and tremble (Hebrews 12:13). So in following Him, whether in life or death we can publish or magnify His love and care (Philippians 1:20).
Thou seest our weakness, Lord;
Our hearts are known to Thee;
O lift Thou up the sinking hand,
Confirm the feeble knee!
Let us in life, in death,
Thy steadfast truth declare,
And publish with our latest breath
Thy love and guardian care.
As there have been multiple variations in the translation, so there have been multiple tunes used for singing the text, since it has had a solid history of use in the church. Today, it is the tune DIADEMATA which has become standard, a tune best known for its use with “Crown Him with Many Crowns.” It was written in 1868 by George J. Elvey (1816-1893). As a young boy, Elvey was a chorister in Canterbury Cathedral. Living and studying with his brother Stephen, he was educated at Oxford and at the Royal Academy of Music. At age nineteen Elvey became organist and master of the boys’ choir at St. George Chapel, Windsor, where he remained until his retirement in 1882. He was frequently called upon to provide music for royal ceremonies such as Princess Louise’s wedding in 1871 (after which he was knighted). Elvey also composed other hymn tunes, anthems, oratorios, and service music.
Here is a link to the music with a portion of the text. Other You Tube posts use different tunes that are not well known among most evangelical churches.