The Power of the Holy Ghost
#1055 Hymns—For Home and ChurchLyrics
The Story Behind “The Power of the Holy Ghost”
While her husband lay sick at a Cotswolds inn, a BYU English professor read Nephi at his bedside — and a ruined sightseeing trip became a hymn.
The Trip That Went Wrong
In 2009, BYU English professors Delys and Phil Snyder traveled to England for an academic conference, with plans to see the Cotswolds — the famously lovely stretch of English countryside. Then Phil fell ill. Instead of touring, Delys sat at his bedside in a small country inn with the only book at hand: a pocket Book of Mormon.
She read Nephi's final sermons — 2 Nephi 31 through 33 — on pressing forward, and on the Holy Ghost, who 'will show unto you all things what ye should do.' 'These chapters opened up my understanding of the power of the Holy Ghost,' she said. While her husband slept, she began drafting lyrics.
The Hard Craft of Hymn Writing
Back home, Snyder revised the text and composed the music — discovering along the way what every hymn writer learns: 'Lyrics are hard because you have to have the same syllables in every line, in every verse.' A writer by profession, she made every syllable earn its place.
The tune's name preserves the origin: COTSWOLDS, for the countryside she never got to see — the sightseeing trip that became something better.
Sixteen Years to the Hymnbook
'The Power of the Holy Ghost' was released February 26, 2026, as hymn #1055. In a fitting postscript, Snyder was serving a mission in Paris, France with her husband while the hymn was being finalized for publication.
The song teaches children the very thing its author learned at that inn: the Holy Ghost is not an abstraction but a guide — a voice that teaches, comforts, and shows the way forward, one step at a time.
Did You Know?
- The hymn was drafted at a sick husband's bedside in an English country inn, from a pocket Book of Mormon.
- The tune name COTSWOLDS preserves the location of the ruined sightseeing trip that produced it.
- The author and her husband were both BYU English professors.
- She was serving a mission in Paris while the hymn was finalized for the hymnbook.
- Her honest craft note: 'Lyrics are hard because you have to have the same syllables in every line, in every verse.'
Scripture Connections
- 2 Nephi 32:2–3, 5 — The chapters she read at the inn — the Holy Ghost 'will show unto you all things what ye should do.'
- John 14:26 — The Comforter, who 'shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance.'
- Moroni 10:5 — 'By the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.'
- 1 Kings 19:12 — The still small voice — how that power usually sounds.
Talk About It
Questions to spark a conversation with your family or Primary class:
- The Snyders' trip was ruined — and produced a hymn. When has a disappointment made room for something better in your life?
- The Holy Ghost 'shows us all things what we should do.' When have you felt shown what to do?
- Delys Snyder found the answer in the book she happened to have with her. What difference does it make to carry scriptures wherever you go?
- How would you describe the Holy Ghost's power to a friend — what does it actually do?
Teaching Resources
Categories
Attribution
Music by: Delys Waite Snyder, 2009; alt. | COTSWOLDS
Text by: and music: Delys Waite Snyder, 2009; alt. | COTSWOLDS
Audio files from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints