I Know that My Redeemer Lives (ELW 619)
I know that my Redeemer lives!
What comfort this sweet sentence gives!
He lives, he lives, who once was dead;
He lives, my ever-living head!
He lives triumphant from the grave;
he lives eternally to save;
he lives exalted, throned above;
he lives to rule his church in love.
He lives to grant me rich supply;
He lives to guide me with his eye;
he lives to comfort me when faint;
he lives to hear my soul's complaint.
He lives to silence all my fears;
he lives to wipe away my tears;
he lives to calm my troubled heart;
he lives all blessings to impart.
Devotion
Funerals in one congregation are never over until the tenor sings “Behold the Host,” still in Norwegian. In another church, old Andrew would sing, with his Swedish accent, “The Holy City,” drawing out the first syllable “Y” in “Jerusalem” each time he pronounced it.
Revelation 7 and 21 find their home in hymnody, especially in times of trial, because of the hope they offer in the promise of God’s eternal home. Our resurrection faith is heartened by hymns that convey our hope in God’s eternal promises.
“I Know that My Redeemer Lives” is a hymn that gives voice to God’s promises, and to the hope that is ours in the promise of the resurrection life. The triumph it proclaims is God’s final triumph over the grave, and the triumph of our own hope and trust in Him.
Prayer
Come, Lord Jesus, come. Establish your holy city and make it our home. Draw us unto you. Amen.