My Hope is Built on Nothing Less, ELW 596
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus' blood and righteousness;
No merit of my own I claim,
But wholly lean on Jesus' name.
(Refrain)
On Christ, the solid rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand.
When darkness veils his lovely face,
I rest on his unchanging grace;
In ev'ry high and stormy gale
My anchor holds within the veil. (Refrain)
His oath, his covenant, his blood
Sustain me in the raging flood;
When all supports are washed away,
He then is all my hope and stay. (Refrain)
When he shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then with him be found,
Clothed in his righteousness alone,
Redeemed to stand before the throne! (Refrain)
Devotion
As we wrestle with the question of suffering, it is good to be reminded of God’s faithfulness. One of the first passages of scripture I really remember making an impact on me was Isaiah 43:1-5a. My pastor pointed out that these verses don’t assure us of life free from struggle. Indeed, she said, God knows we will face challenges greater than we can imagine. But the good news in these verses is that we will not face such challenges alone. When we walk through deep waters, God will be with us. When we go through the fire of oppression, flames will not consume us. Her gentle refrain of “when” planted a seed in my heart that took root. It prepared me, in part, for the injustice and suffering I would encounter. It gave me an image of a God who did not cause such things to happen, but who was not absent when they did. And when (she was right!) hard times came, instead of crying “why, Lord?” I faced each day with the assurance that Jesus was right there with me.
Prayer
Lord, my hope is built on nothing less than the assurance of your love, mercy and grace. Thank you that your promises are trustworthy and true. Amen.