Have Thine Own Way Lord

1. Have thine own way, Lord! 

Have thine own way! 

Thou art the potter, 

I am the clay. 

Mold me and make me 

after thy will, 

while I am waiting, 

yielded and still. 

2. Have thine own way, Lord! 

Have thine own way! 

Search me and try me, 

Savior today! 

Wash me just now, Lord, 

wash me just now, 

as in thy presence 

humbly I bow. 

3. Have thine own way, Lord! 

Have thine own way! 

Wounded and weary, 

help me I pray! 

Power, all power, 

surely is thine! 

Touch me and heal me, 

Savior divine! 

4. Have thine own way, Lord! 

Have thine own way! 

Hold o'er my being 

absolute sway. 

Fill with thy Spirit 

till all shall see 

Christ only, always, 

living in me!

Research tells me that this hymn “Have Thine Own Way, Lord” was written by Adelaide A. Pollard in 1902. And the music was composed by George C. Stebbins in 1907.

The writer, Adelaide, was reportedly inspired by a prayer expressing a desire for God’s guidance and control in her life.

It is a popular hymn, we sing it often, we love it. But what does it mean to us?

I’ll tell you what it means to me and I’m pretty sure you would agree that it’s similar for you.

First of all, I recognize that God is my Maker, my Supplier, my Keeper, my Mender, my Strength, my Covering, my Comforter, my Director, my Redeemer, my Saviour.

So when we say Lord, have thine own way, we are to yield completely to Him.

Is that possible? Yes it is? Can we do it in our own strength? No we can’t. Do we do that all the time? Yield to Him? We should but it’s like we forget or we get carried away, so no we don’t.

So here’s our reminder and encouragement.

My brothers and sisters, we must make God our priority. We must give Him first place in our lives. We must talk to Him first about everything - we don’t say or do anything unless we ask Him to speak and work through us. 

Family, when we say Have Thine Own Way Lord, it means we must allow God to teach us how to live and we have to follow the lesson plan. 

We go to the scriptures and I read from The Passion Translation version.

1. Let’s talk about surrendering, which even Jesus did:

Romans 12:1-2 “Beloved friends, what should be our proper response to God’s marvelous mercies? To surrender yourselves to God to be his sacred, living sacrifices. And live in holiness, experiencing all that delights his heart. For this becomes your genuine expression of worship. Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes.”

And Luke 22:42 ““Father, if you are willing, take this cup of agony away from me. But no matter what, your will must be mine.””

2. Then we must recognize God’s sovereignty and control and trust Him to guide us in the right.

Jeremiah 18:6 ““Can I not do with the people of Israel just as the potter has done with the clay?” declares Yahweh. “Listen, people of Israel. You are clay that I shape in my hands like the clay in the potter’s hands.”

And Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord completely, and do not rely on your own opinions. With all your heart rely on him to guide you, and he will lead you in every decision you make. Become intimate with him in whatever you do, and he will lead you wherever you go.”

3. We know we need to change for the better and having tried and failed many times, we must get to the point where we simply allow God to do it for us - refashion us into His likeness.

Isaiah 64:8 “Yet still, Yahweh, you are our Father. We are like clay and you are our Potter. Each one of us is the creative, artistic work of your hands.”

And 2 Corinthians 4:7 “We are like common clay jars that carry this glorious treasure within, so that this immeasurable power will be seen as God’s, not ours.”

4. Even in the natural, we strive to be obedient to our superiors because we know disobedience has consequences. Surely, as Christians, it is even more so. Therefore, we must aim to always be obedient to our Creator.

James 4:7 “So then, surrender to God. Stand up to the devil and resist him and he will flee in agony.”

Philippians 2:13 “God will continually revitalize you, implanting within you the passion to do what pleases him.”

And John 14:15 ““Loving me empowers you to obey my commands.”

Family, when we say to God have thine own way in our lives, it involves a moment by moment process of surrender, trust, and obedience.

It is never us taking matters into our own hands.

It is always and forever striving to ensure that our every thought, word and deed is aligned with His divine purpose.

And so we must continue to seek God’s guidance through prayer, learn what His will is for our lives through regular studying of the scriptures, and build our confidence in Him so that it will become easier as the days go by to let go and let God have His way.

And certainly, accountability is key. We were created to be in fellowship. 

So let us continue to encourage one another to stay focused on doing the will of our Father in heaven.

The best way to do this is to say to God, Have thine own way Lord, and mean it. Christ only always, living in me.

aub - 28 October 2024

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