Sweet Will of God

Sweet Will of God is a deeply devotional hymn composed by Lelia N. Morris, a prolific American hymnwriter of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The hymn expresses the yearning of a surrendered heart to be fully conformed to the will of God, with lyrics that beautifully reflect themes of consecration, rest, and spiritual transformation. It is one of Morris’s most enduring and spiritually rich contributions to hymnody. Written sometime before she lost her sight around the age of 52, the hymn’s text and tune both originated from Morris herself—a rare feat among hymnwriters, especially women of her time. The chorus, with its poignant refrain “Sweet will of God, still fold me closer / Till I am wholly lost in Thee,” summarizes the hymn’s message: submission not as duty, but as delight. This hymn became especially beloved within Methodist and holiness traditions, where the doctrine of entire sanctification was emphasized—a teaching reflected in the hymn's desire for full surrender and alignment with God's purposes.

Lelia N. Morris was born in 1862 in Pennsville, Ohio, and she demonstrated a love for music and spiritual life from a young age. She married Charles H. Morris and together they were active in the Methodist Episcopal Church and involved in various revival and camp meeting movements in Ohio, including gatherings at Sebring and Mount Vernon. These revival meetings often emphasized personal holiness, a closer walk with God, and an ongoing transformation of character through the indwelling Holy Spirit—all themes central to "Sweet Will of God." Morris composed over a thousand hymn texts and tunes, often while tending to her household duties. Even after losing her eyesight, she continued to write with the help of a 28-foot-long blackboard designed by her family, which allowed her to continue composing hymns. “Sweet Will of God” was most likely written during the peak of her creative years, in the spirit of a believer deeply familiar with the process of sanctification and the comfort of God's providential care.

The spiritual basis of the hymn is rooted in Romans 12:1-2 and Psalm 40:8—passages that emphasize delighting in and conforming to the will of God. “I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart” (Psalm 40:8, KJV) mirrors the hymn’s central sentiment. The hymn moves from the weariness of the human will to the peace and rest found in God's will, a transformation made possible through divine grace. It opens with a confession of the struggles that come from self-will and transitions into the joy of submitting entirely to God's control. This theological arc mirrors the journey of many believers who come to understand that surrender is not loss but gain—a gaining of peace, rest, and intimate communion with God. The hymn is not merely about obedience; it is about becoming so united with God's heart that His will becomes the believer’s own. Morris, through this hymn, invites us into a sacred space where obedience and worship intertwine, and where the soul finds its true purpose not in asserting its own desires, but in yielding completely to the Creator.