Forsake Me Not, My God

Representative Text

1 Forsake me not, my God,
Thou God of my salvation!
Give me Thy light, to be
My sure illumination.
My soul to folly turns,
Seeking she knows not what:
O lead her to Thyself;
My God, forsake me not!

2 Forsake me not, my God!
Take not Thy Spirit from me,
And suffer not the might
Of sin to overcome me.
A father pitieth
The children be begot;
My Father, pity me!
My God, forsake me not!

3 Forsake me not, my God,
Thou God of life and power!
Enliven, strengthen me,
In every evil hour:
And when the sinful fire
Within my heart is hot,
Be not Thou far from me:
My God, forsake me not!

4 Forsake me not, my God!
Uphold me in my going,
That evermore I may
Please Thee in all well-doing;
And that Thy will, O Lord,
May never be forgot
In all my works and ways:
My God, forsake me not!

5 Forsake me not, my God!
I would be Thine for ever:
Confirm me mightily
In every right endeavor:
And when my hour is come,
Cleansed from all stain and spot
Of sin, receive my soul:
My God, forsake me not!

Source: The Lutheran Hymnary #521

Author: Salamo Franck

Franck, Salomo, son of Jakob Franck, financial secretary at Weimar, was born at Weimar, March 6, 1659. Little is known of his early history. He probably studied at Jena, and seems thereafter to have held some appointment at Zwickau. In 1689 he became secretary of the Schwarzburg ducal administration at Arnstadt; and in 1697 of the Saxon administration and of the consistory at Jena. He was then, in 1702, appointed secretary of the consistory, librarian, and curator of the ducal collection of coins and medals at Weimar. He died at Weimar July 11, 1725 (Koch, v. 420-426; Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie, vii. 213-214; Schauer's introduction, &c.) He was a member of the Fruitbearing Society, and the author of a considerable number of secular po… Go to person page >

Translator: Anonymous

In some hymnals, the editors noted that a hymn's author is unknown to them, and so this artificial "person" entry is used to reflect that fact. Obviously, the hymns attributed to "Author Unknown" "Unknown" or "Anonymous" could have been written by many people over a span of many centuries. Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: Forsake me not, my God, Thou God of my salvation
Title: Forsake Me Not, My God
German Title: Ach Gott, verlass mich nicht
Author: Salamo Franck
Translator: Anonymous (1860)
Meter: 6.7.6.7.6.6.6.6
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain

Timeline

Instances

Instances (1 - 11 of 11)
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A Selection of Hymns #443

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Church Book #439

TextPage Scan

Church Book #439

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Hymns for the use of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, by the Authority of the Ministerium of Pennsylvania #466

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Hymns of the Church Universal #213

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The Book of Worship #396

The Hymns for the Use of Evangelical Lutheran Congregations #d106

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The Liturgy and Hymns of the American Province of the Unitas Fratrum #517

TextPage Scan

The Lutheran Hymnary #521

The Oxford American Hymnal for Schools and Colleges #d91

The Soldier's Pocket Book #d4

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