Forth in Your Name O Lord I Go
Forth in Your name, O Lord, I go
The hymn expresses the Lutheran doctrine of vocation—that all legitimate occupations and daily activities constitute the Christian's calling before God. It reflects the Reformation principle that ordinary work performed in faith and done for God's glory is sacred service.
History & Background
Charles Wesley wrote this hymn in 1749 as part of his vast hymnodic output emphasizing Christian witness in daily life. It has been widely adopted in Lutheran hymnals as an expression of vocation and intentional Christian discipleship.
Charles Wesley wrote the text of this hymn and Scripture References published it in Hymns and Sacred Poems (1749) as a hymn “for st. 2 = Ps. 139:2 believers.” It was entitled “Before Work.” Rom. 12:1-2 The hymn originally had six stanzas. Following John Wesley’s st. 3 = Ps. 16:8 example in his Collection (1780), most modern hymnals, including st. 4 = Matt. 11:30 the Psalter Hymnal, omit the original stanza 3. Matt. 26:41 Recognizing the significance of daily work for the Christian, Charles Wesley wrote and sang hymns not only for Sunday but also for daily use. The text of this hymn reflects Wesley’s views about work: we are to do our work in the name of the Lord (st. 1); God calls us to our work in obedience to his will (st. 2); we may offer all our work to God (st. 3); as we journey from this life to glory, we may always view our work as part of the coming of God’s kingdom (st. 4); we may gratefully use all God’s gifts for his glory (st. 5).
Hymnal Appearances
- Evangelical Lutheran Worship — 768
- Glory to God — 432
- Lutheran Book of Worship — 505
- Lutheran Service Book — 854
- Lift Up Your Hearts — 326
- Lutheran Worship — 380
- Psalter Hymnal — 324
- Voices Together — 422
Liturgical Use
Close of worship; worship services in which labor is stressed (Labor Day Sunday); springtime prayer services for crops and industry; New Year’s Day; ordination; profes sion of faith; commissioning services; when used during the Easter season, substitute an “Alleluia” for the final “Amen.”
Bulletin Note
Charles Wesley, 1749. This hymn crystallizes the Protestant conviction that ordinary work—farming, teaching, commerce, motherhood—is sacred calling when performed in faith and for God's glory, not mere secular toil.
Preaching Connection
This hymn embodies the Reformation doctrine of vocation: the Gospel frees us from false piety to embrace the Law's demand that we serve Christ through faithful, wholehearted work in every station of life.
Stanza Arc
The narrative or theological arc traced by this tune's stanzas: Commitment to Christ-centered daily work (1-2) → Sustained presence and offering of labor (3) → Perseverance toward eternal fulfillment (4)
Themes
Vocation Daily living Discipleship Consecration God's guidance