Whate'er my God ordains is right,
Holy His will abideth;
I will be still whate'er He doth,
And follow where He guideth.
He is my God,
Though dark my road,
He holds me that I shall not fall,
Wherefore to Him I leave it all.

Whate'er my God ordains is right,
He never will deceive me;
He leads me by the proper path,
I know He will not leave me,
And take content
What He hath sent;
His hand can turn my griefs away,
And patiently I wait His day.

Whate'er my God ordains is right,
His loving thought attends me;
No poison'd draught the cup can be
That my Physician sends me,
But medicine due
For God is true,
And on that changeless truth I build,
And all my heart with hope is fill'd.

Whate'er my God ordains is right,
Though now this cup in drinking
May bitter seem to my faint heart,
I take it all unshrinking;
Tears pass away
With dawn of day,
Sweet comfort yet shall fill my heart,
And pain and sorrow shall depart.

Whate'er my God ordains is right,
Here shall my stand be taken;
Though sorrow, need, or death be mine,
Yet am I not forsaken,
My Father's care
Is around me there,
He holds me that I shall not fall,
And so to Him I leave it all.

The Chorale Book for England, 1863

Scripture References:
all st. = Rom. 8:38-39
st. 1 = Deut. 32:4
st. 2 = Deut. 31:6, Heb. 13:5, John 8:12; 14:18
st. 3 = Eph. 2:20
st. 4 = Luke 1:79

Samuel Rodigast (b. Graben, Thuringia, Germany, 1649; d. Berlin, Germany, 1708) wrote the text (“Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan!”) in six stanzas for his seriously ill friend, Severus Gastorius. The text was published in the Appendix to Das Hannoverische Gesangbuch (1676). Gracia Grindal (PHH 351) translated four of the original stanzas for the 1978 Lutheran Book of Worship.

A sermon on Deuteronomy 32:4 in hymn form, the text is a confession of unshakable trust in God's providence in our lives (see 440 and 446 as well as confessions found in Rom. 8:38-39 and Lord's Day 1 for a similar theme). The text expresses the kind of devout faith that produced Lutheran Pietism (which began around 1670) and provides a worthy vehicle for congregations to affirm trust in God's care.

Rodigast studied at the University of Jena and briefly served as an instructor in philosophy there. But for most of his professional life he was associated with the Greyfriars Gymnasium (high school) in Berlin, as joint rector from 1680 to 1698 and as rector from 1698 until his death. A fine scholar and administrator, Rodigast was offered a position at the University of Jena, but he preferred to stay at the gymnasium. Be is known to have written only two hymn texts, of which "What God Ordains" has become a classic.

Liturgical Use:
As a sung confession of faith in God's care and keeping and in his wisdom as he directs our lives; a healing service; many other occasions of worship.

--Psalter Hymnal Handbook