Jesus, Still Lead On, ELW 624
1 Jesus, still lead on, till our rest be won;
and, although the way be cheerless,
we will follow, calm and fearless;
guide us by your hand to the promised land.
2 If the way be drear, if the foe be near,
let no faithless fears o’ertake us,
let not faith and hope forsake us;
safely past the foe to our home we go.
3 When we seek relief from a long-felt grief,
when temptations come alluring
make us patient and enduring;
show us that bright shore where we weep no more.
4 Jesus, still lead on, till our rest be won;
heav’nly leader, still direct us,
still support, console, protect us,
till we safely stand in the promised land.
Devotion
My grandson is still teaching English 40 miles west of Sendai, Japan months after the earthquake and tsunami. He keeps going with little food variety. He has lost a lot sleep from aftershocks. Now he is helping his school finish its term, even with his supervisor losing her brother and tremendous trauma and upset around. It is hard to even imagine what many Japanese people are living with-grief, homelessness, survival, loss of job, no normality in sight. What happens when life catches us off guard? I have watched young women suddenly be entrapped in lives of prostitution going from freedom to slavery with no apparent way out. Life can sometimes be unbelievably hard. But Jesus is there. We can bring out this uplifting hymn and sing it with gusto. Jesus knows. Jesus cares. Jesus empowers. He leads us to true rest with our Father.
Prayer
We are soft, Jesus, unprepared for life's shattering turns. We quickly turn to self-pity, confusion, despair, or the quick fix. Give us grace to lift our heads and our voices, claiming again your presence, victory and your strength. Yes, take us by the hand and lead us and the many suffering people of the world to our Fatherland. Amen.