Trust and Obey John H. Sammis, 1887
5 verses and a refrain, public domain, free to print and project.
The words
Verse 1. When we walk with the Lord
In the Light of his Word
What a glory he sheds on our way!
While we do his good-will,
He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.
Refrain Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus,
But to trust and obey.
Verse 2. Not a shadow can rise,
Not a cloud in the skies,
But his smile quickly drives it away;
Not a doubt nor a fear,
Not a sigh nor a tear,
Can abide while we trust and obey.
Verse 3. Not a burden we bear,
Not a sorrow we share,
But our toil he doth richly repay;
Not a grief nor a loss,
Not a frown nor a cross,
But is blest if we trust and obey.
Verse 4. But we never can prove
The delights of his love
Until all on the altar we lay;
For the favor he shows,
And the joy he bestows,
Are for them who will trust and obey.
Verse 5. Then in fellowship sweet
We will sit at his feet,
Or we’ll walk by his side in the way;
What he says we will do,
Where he sends we will go,
Never fear, only trust and obey.
Sing the refrain after every verse.
Words copied from New Baptist Hymnal (1926). They were published in 1887, so they are in the public domain in the United States, and your church may print them, show them and sing them without a license.
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The story behind Trust and Obey
John H. Sammis wrote the words of Trust and Obey and Daniel B. Towner wrote the tune. Towner told the story to Ira Sankey, who printed it in a 1906 book. A young man stood up in a testimony meeting led by Dwight L. Moody in Brockton, Massachusetts, and said he was not sure about everything, but he would trust and obey. Towner wrote the sentence down and sent it to Sammis, a Presbyterian minister. Towner said the refrain came first and the stanzas followed.
The Hymnology Archive places the Brockton meeting in the fall of 1886 and says the exact date is unknown. It also says the link between Sammis and Towner is less clear than the Brockton story. The account rests on Towner's memory, relayed about twenty years later.
The hymn first appeared in 1887 in a collection Towner edited and Fleming H. Revell published. Hymnary.org gives its title as Hymns Old and New, and the Hymnology Archive gives Hymns New and Old. It had five stanzas and a refrain, with Psalm 25:14 as the heading. Towner had worked with Moody since 1885, and the Moody and Sankey campaigns carried the hymn across the country.
Sammis was ordained in the Presbyterian Church at Glidden, Iowa, in 1880 and later taught at the Los Angeles Bible Institute. Hymnary.org notes that the second stanza is often dropped because its promise about sorrow does not match what many singers have lived. Most hymnals on Hymnary.org print the tune in F major.
John H. Sammis
1846 to 1919
John H. Sammis was born in Brooklyn in 1846. He moved to Logansport, Indiana, at about age 22, where he became a Christian. He worked for the Y.M.C.A., first as secretary of the Terre Haute association and then as state secretary. He studied at Lane and McCormick seminaries and was ordained in the Presbyterian Church at Glidden, Iowa. He pastored churches in Indianapolis, Grand Haven, Michigan, and Red Wing and St. Paul, Minnesota. In 1909 he joined the Los Angeles Bible Institute. Hymnary.org credits him with more than 100 hymns, including Trust and Obey. He died in 1919.
Daniel Brink Towner
1850 to 1919
Daniel Brink Towner was born in Rome, Pennsylvania, in 1850. His grade school teacher there was P. P. Bliss, and he later majored in music. He worked with Dwight L. Moody as a musician from 1885 and in 1893 became head of the music department at Moody Bible Institute. He was also a baritone who sang with his wife, Mary. Hymnary.org describes him as the author of more than 2,000 songs and lists the pen names Robert Beverly and T. R. Bowden. He wrote the tune for Trust and Obey, which appeared in 1887 in a collection he edited. He died in 1919.
- Hymnary.org, Trust and Obey (When we walk with the Lord) , read 2026-10-16
- Hymnology Archive, Trust and obey , read 2026-10-16
- Hymnary.org, TRUST AND OBEY (Towner) , read 2026-10-16
- Hymnary.org, John H. Sammis , read 2026-10-16
Scripture in Trust and Obey
The Bible passages behind the words.
- 1 John 5:2-3
- Proverbs 16:20
- Exodus 19:5
- Psalm 25:14
- John 14:15-23
Trust and Obey videos
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Trust And Obey - Congregational Singing Chesapeake Baptist Music, Congregation
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Trust and Obey- Congregational Singing stillamazed27, Congregation
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"Trust And Obey" by 125 Voice Mass Choir for Classic Hymns album " Amazing Grace" Classic Hymns, Choir
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Trust And Obey - A Cappella Hymn A Cappella Hymns, A cappella
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Trust and Obey - piano instrumental hymn Kaleb Brasee, Piano
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Don Moen - Trust and Obey DonMoenTV, Modern arrangement
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Print and project
Chords and keys
Hymnals print it in F or E♭.
Questions people ask
Who wrote Trust and Obey?
John Sammis wrote the words and Daniel Towner wrote the tune. It first appeared in 1887.
What is the story behind Trust and Obey?
Towner said a young man spoke at a Moody meeting in Brockton, Massachusetts, and said he would trust and obey. Towner sent the sentence to Sammis, who wrote the hymn.
What Bible verses does Trust and Obey draw on?
Hymnary.org ties the first stanza to 1 John 5:2 to 3 and Proverbs 16:20, and the second to Exodus 19:5. The 1887 book headed the hymn with Psalm 25:14.
Is Trust and Obey in the public domain?
The words and tune are public domain in the United States. Both date to 1887.
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