During the Civil War, Gilmore was an interim pastor at a church in Philadelphia. One evening after a midweek service on Psalm 23, several church members gathered in a friend’s home to continue discussing the Bible together.

As the conversation continued around him, Gilmore found a corner in the room to write words about God’s faithful guidance:

“He leadeth me, O blessed thought…”

He later admitted he thought little about the poem afterward and even left the paper behind that evening.

But his wife discovered the poem and sent it be published. Composer William Batchelder Bradbury eventually set the poem to music, though Gilmore apparently knew nothing about it at the time.

Years later, Gilmore picked up a church hymnal and was astonished to discover his own words inside. The simple poem he had nearly forgotten had become a beloved hymn sung by churches everywhere.

Today, He Leadeth Me still comforts believers with its reminder that God faithfully leads His children through every season of life.