Jesus Calls Us, O'er the Tumult, LBW 494
1 Jesus calls us; o'er the tumult
Of our life's wild, restless sea,
Day by day his clear voice sounding,
Saying, "Christian, follow me."
2 As of old St. Andrew heard it
By the Galilean lake,
Turned from home and toil and kindred,
Leaving all for his dear sake.
3 Jesus calls us from the worship
Of the vain world's golden store,
From each idol that would keep us,
Saying, "Christian, love me more."
4 In our joys and in our sorrows,
Days of toil and hours of ease,
Still he calls, in cares and pleasures,
"Christian, love me more than these."
5 Jesus calls us!
In your mercy,
Savior, make us hear your call,
Give our hearts to your obedience,
Serve and love you best of all.
Devotion
This has been a bad year for natural disasters. California is burning; at the same time Iowa is drying out from flooding and Oklahoma (along with other states) is cleaning up from tornadoes. It seems that every year we are experiencing more and greater natural disasters. They are even classified by the government as “acts of God,” and many people do blame Him. But would the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the first person of the Trinity, intentionally cause all that death and destruction? Like God’s demonstration of power to Elijah, “Jesus Calls Us, O’er the Tumult” reminds us that, though He has power over the natural forces, He is not in them. Instead, He calls to us in the midst of the storm in his “still, small voice” giving us hope and peace, as well as a sense of direction toward safety. “Day by day, his clear voice sounding, saying, ‘Christian, follow me.’”
Prayer
Heavenly Father, help us hear your voice amidst the loudness of the storm so that we can follow you and survive. Amen.