My Shepherd

1. O Shepherd divine, I know Thou art mine;
    Thy search in the night was for me.
This bleak world is cold, but warm is Thy fold;
    My Shepherd, I follow Thee.
Thy beautiful lamp shineth bright o’er my way,
    Thy glorious light unto Thy perfect day.
Thru’ pastures serene, thru’ valleys of green,
    My Shepherd, I follow Thee.

2. O Shepherd divine, I know Thou art mine;
    Thy great heart was broken for me.
Thy grace and Thy law I picture with awe;
    They kissed upon Calvary.
Ah! life that was given to ransom my soul,
    Ah! heart that was broken to make sinners whole.
This world is but loss in view of Thy cross,
    My Shepherd, I follow Thee.

3. O Shepherd divine, I know Thou art mine;
    I hear Thee say, “Follow thou Me.”
Thy message today illumines the way;
    The Spirit of Prophecy.
I thrill at Thy marvelous love to Thy sheep,
    The way Thou dost lead to the still waters deep.
One staff and one rod, one fold and one God,
    My Shepherd, I follow Thee.

4. Thy sheep would all stray, so dark is the way,
    But now Thy voice guides in the night;
Thy sheep would be blind in heart and in mind,
    But now Thou has given sight.
The Spirit of Prophecy, Lord, is Thy voice,
    Thy sheep in all meekness will hear and rejoice.
O let me not stray by night or by day,
    But safe in Thy fold delight.

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John 10
¹⁶ And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear my voice; and there will be one flock and one Shepherd.

Using the familiar symbolism of the Shepherd and sheep, as illustrated in Psalm 23, this song celebrates the glorious gospel light brought by our shepherd, Jesus Christ. It mentions:

• His love and care in coming to this earth to seek us out;
• the wonderful union of justice and mercy in His sacrifice on our behalf;
• the warm fold of His gospel church, full of life and love;
• the peaceful meadows of present truth, which feed the sheep.

Then from verse 3 onwards, the song takes a distinctly Adventist turn, and celebrates the gift of the Spirit of Prophecy (the writings of Ellen G. White) given to the church to navigate them through the deep waters of the final days of earth’s history. The remarkable books that poured from her inspired pen are a rich treasure, far surpassing in their breadth and beauty all the writings of the reformers and ministers of the past.

According to the book of Revelation, the “testimony of Jesus” is the “spirit of prophecy” (Revelation 19:10). The faithful remnant of believers are those who “keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 12:17). Therefore, this gift is the voice of Jesus to His church leading through the darkness to the promised day.

The words of this hymn were written by Herbert Work (1904-1982). He had also composed some music for it, but I chose to rewrite the tune for our hymnal.

About the Author
These comments are from John Thurber, as quoted on the website: remnant-online.com

Herbert Work wrote this hymn while sitting on a large rock in the woods behind St. Helena Hospital, California. He always thought he had a marvellous Shepherd to write about. In 1932 he read The Marked Bible and “The Bible Made Plain.”

While in Philadelphia he searched and found the Seventh-day Adventist Conference Office. He said to the girl at the desk, “Are you a Seventh-Day Adventist”? “Yes.” He said, “Well, I have 32 questions to ask you, and if you answer them to my satisfaction I”ll join your church.”

Flustered, she said. “Oh, if you’ll wait 15 minutes, my Dad will be back.”

But Work asked, “You are an Adventist, aren’t you?”

“Well yes, I am.” she said.

“Then you can answer what I want to know.”

Seventeen year-old Dorothy Vandeman (later Lemon) answered all the questions to his satisfaction. Work was baptized into the SDA church in June 1933. His long and much appreciated career of teaching music in many places, including, PUC and SWUC proved a real blessing to the youth. Modesto Academy was where he served the longest.

The following comments are from William Fagal, as quoted on www.whiteestate.org

The words for this hymn were written by Herbert Work, a teacher and a concert artist on the saxophone. The words for the hymn are based on John 10:1-30. Verse 16 is echoed in the final stanza: “One staff and one rod, one fold and one God.”

…Born in California in 1904, Herbert Work had established himself as a successful performer and arranger before becoming a Seventh-day Adventist in 1933. He devoted the rest of his life to teaching and to conducting band and choral music at various of the church’s academies and colleges and at self-supporting institutions. In 1954 he published a booklet, Sanctuary Songs, containing 16 items. His largest work was a cantata, Abel, for which the eldest granddaughter of Ellen G. White, Ella Robinson, wrote the lyrics, based on Scripture. He died in 1982.

Tags: Shepherd, Spirit of Prophecy