TEACH ME, SHOW ME

Teachers hang all over the branches of my family tree. My sister taught and was a school librarian. Her daughter (my niece) is a school superintendent. My mother's closest sister taught—in Panama! My husband was an elementary gym teacher. His sisters also taught, as did a brother-in-law and a nephew. My daughter is a violin teacher. And guess what: teachers have also written enduring hymns. One is “Teach Me Thy Will” and another “Teach Me Thy Way.”

“Teach Me Thy Way” came from the heart of an English organist and amateur composer, B. Mansell Ramsey (1849-1923). A music teacher at a grammar school in Bournemouth (a beach resort on the south coast of England, about 94 miles southwest of London), he conducted an amateur orchestra and was involved in the city music scene. His music output included a children's operetta for boys about Robinson Crusoe and another whimsical production titled “Clouds and Sunshine: A Fairy Play.”But it's his hymn, “Teach Me Thy Way,” that endured though decades of hymn publication.

The hymn is based on Psalm 27:11: “Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.” It also alludes to other passages about keeping God's commandments:

“Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth. Unite my heart to fear thy name.” (Psalm 86:11 KJV)

”Show me thy ways, O Lord, teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me; for thou art the God of my salvation; for they have been ever of old.” (Psalm 25:4-5 KJV)

More of Ramsey's story is at this site:

Teach Me Thy Way, O Lord - Hymn Story and Scripture Allusions - ScriptureWay

A vocalist sings the hymn with a stunning background of aerial landscape here:

Teach Me Thy Way O Lord - YouTube

Psalm 27:11 also inspired the similarly-named hymn. “Teach Me Thy Will,” by an early American writer-editor, Katherine Grimes (1877-1967). She had a varied resume: editor of an agriculture magazine, pianist and music teacher, explorer of Colorado Native American ruins, and—oh, yes—a self-employed copy editor. Of her 24 hymn texts, “Teach Me Thy Will” is probably the best known. Its verses describe how knowing and serving God require a daily walk of trust and self-examination.

Words and piano/organ accompaniment are here (skip the opening ad, if needed):

Teach Me Thy Way, O Lord (hymntime.com)

This video is a singalong version with a vocalist accompanying himself in a homey setting:

Teach Me Thy Will, O Lord (Weekly Hymn Project) (youtube.com)

TEACH ME....

"Teach" in the title, a ruler.... reminders for
a hymn about learning God's ways

A monthly feature on a hymn of the faith.

Some big media names in our times include Gordon Ramsay, the outspoken television chef (his name spelled with two A's), and Dave Ramsey, finance advice personality (his name with an A and E). But does the name “Benjamin Mansell Ramsey” ring a bell? Probably not. Maybe the title “Teach Me Thy Way, O Lord” does.

The history of hymnody includes many who wrote just a few hymns, and one rose to the top. Such is the case for Ramsey's “Teach Me Thy Way,” Born in 1849, he was known as an organist and amateur composer in his hometown of Chichester, in England's southeast coastal county, Sussex. Hugging the shoreline of the English Channel, the city had a colorful history going back to medieval and Norman times, as a Roman and Anglo-Saxon settlement. It was also the seat of the Church of England's Diocese of Chichester, boasting a cathedral that hailed back to the 12^th Century.

Ramsey spent his life in that area, moving in music circles. He taught music at a local school, served as an officer in the local music association, and conducted local orchestras, one of which he helped establish. His musical output included a children's cantata about Robinson Crusoe and another titled “Clouds and Sunshine: A Fairy Play.” His other hymn to become better known was “Lord, Bring Some Wanderers Home.”

Little was written about his private life. His daughter Lillian was a published writer of children's books.

But what of this hymn? Perhaps its endurance is its meditative tune, and how it expressed the teachings of several Bible passages. One is 2 Timothy 4:2, Paul's last known “goodbyes” to various friends who helped him and is charge to Timothy to persevere in preaching and living out the Gospel:

Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine.

Maybe these verses also influenced this hymn's lyrics:

Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies. (Psalm 27:11)

Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name. (Psalm 86:11)

Thought he suffered poor health in his old age, he organized and conducted a choral society in Chichester before dying at 74. It's worth noting that “Teach Me Thy Way” ends as he lived:

Until the race is run, until the journey's done,

Until the Crown is won; Teach me Thy Way.

Stunning photography accompanies this YouTube featuring “Teach Me Thy Way”:

Teach me Thy way, O Lord - with Lyrics - Bing video