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You Bring the Hymnal, I'll bring the History
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On March 26, 1862, while the American Civil War was raging throughout the country, Pastor Joseph Gilmore stood to preach at the First Baptist Church in Philadelphia.  He wanted the people to turn their eyes off the war and look to Jesus and his text was Psalm 23, the Shepherd's Psalm.  Later that day, at the house of a friend he could not get out of his mind the idea that God was leading us no matter what the situation.  He wrote out the words to the hymn, "He Leadeth Me."  Three years later while preaching at another church, he opened their hymn book and found his words set to music.  To his surprise, his wife had sent the words to a Christian periodical and William Bathelder Bradbury of Maine, set the words to music.

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He leadeth me! O blessed thought!
O words with heav'nly comfort frought!
Whate'er I do, where'er I be,
Still 'tis God's hand that leadeth me!

Refrain:
He leadeth me, He leadeth me,
By His own hand He leadeth me;
His faithful follower I would be,
For by His hand he leadeth me.

Lord, I would clasp Thy hand in mine,
Nor ever murmur not repine,
Content, whatever lot I see,
Since 'tis Thy hand that leadeth me!

And when my task on earth is done,
When, by Thy grace, the vict'ry's won,
E'en death's cold wave I will not flee,
Since God through Jordan leadeth me!
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