Isaiah 64:3-4, 8-9
Your fearsome deeds have completely amazed us; even the mountains shake when you come down. You are the only God ever seen or heard of who works miracles for his followers.
You, Lord, are our Father. We are nothing but clay, but you are the potter who molded us. Don’t be so furious or keep our sins in your thoughts forever! Remember that all of us are your people.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
In the songbook Then Sings My Soul, an account is given of the life of Adelaide A. Pollard, author of the well-known hymn “Have Thine Own Way, Lord.” Pollard was apparently healed of diabetes in the early 1900s, through the ministry of a Scottish-born faith healer, John Alexander Dowie. Years later, she sat in a prayer meeting… her heart heavy because she could not raise the necessary funds to travel to Africa as a missionary. Another lady attending the meeting prayed, “It doesn’t matter what you bring into our lives, LORD. Just have your own way with us.”
Pollard had recently read the story of the potter and the clay in Jeremiah 18, where in verse six, God says, “People of Israel, I, the Lord, have power over you, just as a potter has power over clay.” She used this verse and the woman’s prayer as inspiration to create the well-loved hymn. In the verses, she asks repeatedly, “Have Thine own way, LORD! Have Thine own way!” and she reminds God that “Thou art the Potter… I am the clay.” In the third verse she says, “Wounded and weary… help me, I pray! Power, all power, surely is Thine! Touch me and heal me, Savior divine!” And finally, she asks, “Hold o’er my being absolute sway! Fill with Thy Spirit till all shall see, Christ only, always… living in me!”
As someone who attends a contemporary worship service most Sundays, I have to tell you that I miss old hymns like this one. I didn’t fully appreciate them when I was young… and I remember thinking this one was particularly mournful… but that had more to do with the tune itself and the tempo than the words themselves. There is something truly beautiful about so many of the old hymns, and this one is no exception. In these verses, we are reminded that God is willing to reward those who step out and spend time with Him. “Hold o’er my being absolute sway,”… then “Touch me and heal me” with your power!... can there be a stronger statement of faith and commitment?
We all get discouraged from time to time… and clearly, Adelaide Pollard did, as well. Even after being healed of a life-altering disease, she still found the need to humble herself before God and ask for a miracle. But the key point here is that God did answer… and eventually, Pollard made it to Africa. However, World War I caused her to move to Scotland – and eventually back to America, where she spoke frequently to groups, ministered to others, and wrote poetry. She was on her way to a speaking engagement in Pennsylvania, when she was stricken with a seizure and later died.
Surely God worked in the life of Adelaide Pollard and “had His own way” with her heart. Clearly she trusted Him to fill her with the Holy Spirit… and to lean on His wisdom and plans for her life. I find it inspiring that examples of faith know no time limit… what worked for a woman in the early 1900s can work for us in 2012 – and beyond. All we have to do is to ask God to “Have Thine own way” and to trust Him to mold us and make us after His own will. If we will sincerely and humbly do this, I truly believe that “we ain’t seen nothin’ yet!” Are you ready to find out for yourself? Will this be the day you truly ask God to “Have Thine own way?”
©2012 Debbie Robus
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