My Maker Be With Me
My Maker be with me
This hymn reflects Lutheran emphasis on God's active providential care and the believer's daily dependence upon divine protection, echoing the theology of trust articulated in the Small Catechism's explanation of the First Article. It demonstrates the Reformation recovery of biblical piety focused on personal relationship with God through Christ.
History & Background
Written by Count Nicolai Zinzendorf for the Moravian tradition around 1725, this devotional hymn expresses reliance upon God's presence and protection. It was translated into English by John Christian Jacobi in the mid-18th century and became widely used in German and English Lutheran hymnody.
Hymnal Appearances
- Lutheran Worship — 255
- The Lutheran Hymnal — 335
Translation
Bulletin Note
Written by Moravian leader Nicolai Leonhard Zinzendorf in 1725, this hymn expresses the Reformation recovery of childlike trust in God's providence—a theme central to Luther's Small Catechism explanation of creation and care.
Preaching Connection
This hymn deepens the Gospel's comfort by moving beyond forgiveness to present assurance: God's continuous providential care answers human anxiety with the promise of divine presence rather than human achievement.
Stanza Arc
The narrative or theological arc traced by this tune's stanzas: Law to Gospel: from the demand of belief and baptism, through Christ's redemptive work and Spirit-empowered perseverance, to doxological assurance of eternal inheritance
Themes
God's protection Divine presence Covenant keeping Trust in God Daily devotion