LBW 456, “The King of Love My Shepherd Is”
Devotion
This hymn, with its nice mesh of words and music, is one of my favorites. It took on new meaning for me when my confirmation teacher and his wife sang it at my father’s funeral. A new love formed in my heart that day for this hymn.
Its words emphasize the love of this shepherd. Many of us can relate to v. 3. The God of love is patient in the midst of our foolish wandering.
At my father’s funeral, I tried – unwisely – to be stoic for my family. This hymn broke into my attempt at emotional suppression and spoke to me. There was something special about v. 6 that day. It was an appropriate closing for my father and for every Christian on the way out of this world:
“And so, through all the length of days, thy goodness faileth never, Good Shepherd may I sing praise, within thy house forever.”
Prayer
King of Love, transform our lives, give us hope in the midst of death, and lead us to where streams of living water flow. Amen.