Sarah Adelaide Addison Pollard (1862–1934)

Sarah Adelaide Addison Pollard was an American evangelistic worker whose influence spread farther through a hymn than through headlines. She died on December 20, 1934, in New York City from a ruptured appendix—an ordinary end to an outwardly quiet life, yet one that left behind an enduring witness. Those who knew her remembered steady service: speaking, counseling, and urging hearts toward repentance and simple obedience.

Pollard also carried a missionary burden that eventually took her to Africa. Her work there reflected the kind of heroism Scripture often commends—faithfulness in obscurity, courage without fanfare, and love expressed in practical ministry. She is not chiefly remembered for public acclaim, but for a life shaped by the conviction that God’s call is worth any cost, and that surrender is not loss but worship.

“Have Thine Own Way, Lord”

Pollard’s best-known legacy is the hymn “Have Thine Own Way, Lord.” It was written during a season when her own missionary hopes were blocked. Rather than hardening into disappointment, she chose to trust God’s wiser hands. The hymn’s central image—God as the potter and the believer as clay—echoes the Lord’s own claim: “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in My hand” (Jeremiah 18:6).

The song does not ask for an easier path. It prays for a yielded life: one willing to be reshaped, cleansed, corrected, and sent. Its tone is both humble and bold—humble about human weakness, bold about divine goodness.

Legacy and Witness

In churches, sickrooms, and mission gatherings, Pollard’s hymn has helped generations pray honestly: not for control, but for conformity to Christ. Her message aligns with the call to consecration: “Offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God” (Romans 12:1).

Pollard’s life reminds believers that delayed plans are not denied purpose. When personal dreams are interrupted, faith can still flourish; when doors close, obedience can still open a deeper work within. Her legacy continues to call the church to obedient surrender—trusting that God’s hand is not only strong enough to guide, but wise enough to shape.