Scripture Verse

He will be our guide even to the end. Psalm 48:14

Introduction

portrait
Bentley Ackley
(1872–1958)

Words: Charles W. Coll­inge, 1912. Ap­peared in Great Re­viv­al Hymns No. 2, ed­it­ed by Ho­mer A. Ro­de­heav­er & Bent­ley Ack­ley (Chi­ca­go, Il­li­nois & Phi­la­del­phia, Penn­syl­van­ia: Ro­de­heav­er, 1913), num­ber 171. Note: The song shifts be­tween a ten­or so­lo and four-part har­mo­ny; see score for de­tails.

Music: Bent­ley D. Ack­ley (🔊 pdf nwc).

If you know where to get a good pho­to of Coll­inge (head & shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els), or a bet­ter one of Ack­ley,

Lyrics

My Guid­ing Star shines for me in­to night,
And oh, the light! And oh, the light!
Once deep­est dark­ness veiled the way I went,
My Star was sent, my Star was sent;
And now, e’en in the gloam­ing as I go,
I see His glow, I see His glow;
And now, e’en in the gloam­ing as I go,
I see His glow, I see His glow.

My Guid­ing Star shines for me in­to day,
To light the way, to light the way;
For when the world so fills my wea­ry eyes,
And His dear skies, and His dear skies,
So far away, sweet Star, I need Thy ray,
To light my day, to light my day;
So far away, sweet Star, I need Thy ray,
To light my day, to light my day.

And when at last the ev­en­ing time shall spread,
About my bed, about my bed;
When mur­mured low the part­ings, and the heart,
Forgets its part, for­gets its part,
Then, out the dawn­ing new, be­yond, afar,
Shall shine my Star, shall shine my Star;
Then, out the dawn­ing new, be­yond, afar,
Shall shine my Star, shall shine my Star.