Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved (Psalm 55:22).
God will take care of you;
Beneath his wings of love abide,
God will take care of you.
Refrain:
God will take care of you,
Through ev’ry day, O’er all the way,
He will take care of you,
God will take care of you.
2. Through days of toil when heart doth fail,
God will take care of you;
When dangers fierce your path assail,
God will take care of you.
3. All you may need he will provide,
God will take care of you;
Nothing you ask will be denied,
God will take care of you.
4. No matter what may be the test,
God will take care of you;
Lean, weary one, upon his breast,
God will take care of you.
Various stories are repeated of the origins of the song “God Will Take Care of You.” It is best to relate the story as told by the author of the hymn, Civilla Martin. This story was written by her in a letter to Phil Kerr. He repeated it as follows.
GOD WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU
“Words by Mrs. C. D. Martin, Music by W. S. Martin.
“This song was written in 1904, by husband and wife. Many conflicting stories concerning its writing have been published. In a letter to Phil Kerr (dated September 1, 1941), Mrs. Martin gives this first-hand story:
“I was confined to a sick bed in a Bible School in Lestershire, New York.[i] My husband was spending several weeks at the school, making a songbook. ‘God Will Take Care of You’ was written one Sunday afternoon while my husband went to a preaching appointment. When he returned I gave the words to him; he immediately sat down to his little Bilhorn organ and wrote the music. That evening he and two of the teachers sang the completed song. It was then printed in the songbook he was compiling for the school.”
“Mrs. Martin was born in Nova Scotia, August 21, 1867. After spending several years as a schoolteacher she was married to Dr. W. Stillman Martin, a Baptist minister. She accompanied him in his evangelistic travels, the two often singing duets. Hymnals usually list her name as Mrs. C. D. Martin, the “C. D” being the initials of her maiden name.[ii] Her husband (born in 1862) died in 1935. She passed away in 1948, in Atlanta. ‘His Eye Is On The Sparrow’ is another of her famed compositions.”
Above as printed in Music in Evangelism and Stories of Famous Christian Songs (Third Edition), Phil Kerr, Glendale, CA: Gospel Music Publishers, 1950. p. 130.[iii]
This song first appeared in Songs of Redemption and Praise, by John A. Davis, 1905. The music God Cares was written by Walter Stillman Martin, 1904, the husband of Civilla Martin. The tune appears under various names, such as God Will Take Care of You (e.g., The Sanctuary Hymnal, 1914), Martin (e.g., The School Hymnal, 1920), and God Cares (The Baptist Hymnal, 1956). [Note: Martin is not a good name to use with this tune, since there is an older, better-established, and well-known tune already carrying that name.]
The first stanza alludes to Psalm 91:4 (“under his wings shalt thou trust”). Mrs. Martin may have had Psalm 23:4 in mind when composing the second stanza. Psalm 21:2 and Matthew 6:25-34 connect with the third stanza. and Matthew 11:28-30 the fourth.
W. S. and Civilla Martin are buried at the Westview Cemetery in Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia.
[ii] Civilla Durfee Holden Martin.
[iii] The first edition was printed in 1939. The story also appeared in Defender Magazine (Phil Kerr, “Famous Living Hymn Writers,” Defender Magazine, Volume 16, No. 7, November 1941, p. 24). I have not located the first printing of Kerr’s book or the Defender Magazine printing of the story.
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