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944

God Be with You Till We Meet Again

Full Text

1 God be with you till we meet again;
by his counsels guide, uphold you,
with his sheep securely fold you:
God be with you till we meet again.

Refrain:
Till we meet, till we meet,
till we meet at Jesus' feet.
Till we meet, till we meet,
God be with you till we meet again.

2 God be with you till we meet again;
'neath his wings protecting hide you,
daily manna still provide you:
God be with you till we meet again. [Refrain]

3 God be with you till we meet again;
when life's perils thick confound you,
put his arms unfailing round you:
God be with you till we meet again. [Refrain]

4 God be with you till we meet again;
keep love's banner floating over you,
smite death's threatening wave before you:
God be with you till we meet again. [Refrain]

see more

Scripture References

Confessions and Statements of Faith References

Further Reflections on Confessions and Statements of Faith References

To leave the security of worship and enter the world for service requires firm confidence in the faithful promises of God to be with us, to care for us and bless us. Our deepest assurance comes from the comfort we have that “I am not my own, but belong—body and soul, in life and in death—to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ” (Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 1, Question and Answer 1). Because I belong to him, “he will provide whatever I need for body and soul, and will turn to my good whatever adversity he sends upon me in this sad world. God is able to do this because he is almighty God and desires to do this because he is a faithful Father” (Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 9, Question and Answer 26). We have the assurance that “our Lord speaks to us now through the inspired Scriptures. Christ is with us day by day” (Our Song of Hope, Stanza 1). How rich it is to carry such assurance of his blessing with us as we leave the service of worship!

944

God Be with You Till We Meet Again

Blessing/Benediction

Do not live by bread alone, but by the will of God.
May God give the angels charge over you;
may their hands bear you up and keep you from falling. Amen.
—based on Matthew 4:4, 6, 11
— Worship Sourcebook Edition Two

Additional Prayers

A Petitionary Prayer
 
Loving God, we will not be smart enough to see the Enemy’s traps.
Be with us till we meet again.
We will not be strong enough to keep from stumbling
Be with us till we meet again.
We will not be pure enough to slip past temptation.
God, be with us till we meet again in Jesus’ name. Amen.
— Cornelius Plantinga, Jr.
944

God Be with You Till We Meet Again

Tune Information

Name
GOD BE WITH YOU
Key
C Major
Meter
9.8.9.8 refrain 6.7.6.9

Recordings

944

God Be with You Till We Meet Again

Hymn Story/Background

Jeremiah E. Rankin (1828-1904), says of his hymn text,
 
It was written as a Christian good-bye; it was called forth by no person or occasion, but was eliberately composed as a Christian hymn on the basis of the etymology of “good-bye,” which means “God be with you.” The first stanza was sent to two different composers, one of musical note, the other [William G. Tomer] wholly unknown and not thoroughly educated in music. I selected the composition of the latter, and with some slight changes it was published. It was sung for the first time one ev­en­ing in the First Con­gre­ga­tion­al Church in Wash­ing­ton, of which I was then the pas­tor. I at­trib­ut­ed its pop­u­lar­i­ty in no lit­tle part to the mu­sic to which it was set. It was a wed­ding of words and mu­sic, at which it was my func­tion to pre­side; but Mr. To­mer should have his full share of the fam­i­ly hon­or.
 
The first stanza was published in 1880 with the tune GOD BE WITH YOU by William G. Tomer in Gospel Bells; the 1883 edition of tha hymnal included eight stanzas. A popular hymn, “God Be with You” gained currency through the evangelistic cursades of Dwight L. Moody and Ira D. Sankey.
 
The text is essentially a parting blessing, a prayer that God will guide you (st. 1), feed you (st. 2), and protect you in life and in death (st. 3-4). Each stanza is framed by the phrase “God be with you till we meet again.”
— Bert Polman

Author Information

A graduate of Middlebury College, Vermont, and of Andover Theological Seminary, Newton Center, Massachusetts, Rankin served Congregational churches in New York, Vermont, Massachusetts, Washington, D.C., and New Jersey (1855-1889). In 1889 he became president of Howard University, Washington, D.C., a school famous for its many prominent African American graduates. Rankin issued three volumes of poetry and hymn texts (of which "God Be with You" is his most well-known), collaborated in the compilation of hymnals such as The Gospel Temperance Hymnal (1878) and Gospel Bells (1880), and published German-English Lyrics, Sacred and Secular (1897).
— Bert Polman

Composer Information

William G. Tomer (1833-1896) stu­died sing­ing and sang in the choir in Fines­ville, New Jer­sey, and be­gan teach­ing school at age 17. He served in the Un­ion army dur­ing the Amer­i­can ci­vil war, then worked as a clerk in Wash­ing­ton, DC, served as mu­sic di­rect­or for Grace Meth­od­ist Epis­co­pal Church, and taught school in New Car­pen­ters­ville and Green­wich, New Jer­sey. He was liv­ing in Green­wich as of 1880.
— Cyberhymnal.org
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