I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say ELW 332
1. I heard the voice of Jesus say,
"Come unto Me and rest;
Lay down, thou weary one, lay down,
Thy head upon My breast."
I came to Jesus as I was,
Weary and worn and sad;
I found in Him a resting-place,
And He has made me glad.
2. I heard the voice of Jesus say,
"Behold, I freely give
The living water; thirsty one,
Stoop down and drink and live."
I came to Jesus, and I drank
Of that life-giving stream.
My thirst was quenched, my soul revived,
And now I live in Him.
3. I heard the voice of Jesus say,
"I am this dark world's Light.
Look unto Me; thy morn shall rise
And all thy day be bright."
I looked to Jesus, and I found
In Him my Star, my Sun;
And in that Light of Life I'll walk
Till traveling days are done.
Devotion
In addition to the number 40, three is a repeated number in the Bible. Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days. Jesus was in the tomb for the same amount of time. We confess our faith in God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit—the Triune God. In this hymn, Jesus speaks three times; and the singer responds three times to each summons. I heard the voice of Jesus say, “Come unto me ... I offer living water ... I am this dark world's light.” These are the kinds of things we hear Jesus say.
To which we sing in response, “I came to Jesus as I was ... I came to Jesus and I drank ... I came to Jesus and I found in him my star, my sun.” In other words, we come to Jesus because he first called and came to us. He led the way and we followed. He spoke to us so that we may speak to others. He called disciples so that we may be disciples by caring for one another and for the creation. Beyond this hymn, what else does Jesus say and call us to be and do?
Prayer
Lord, speak to us that we may speak to others. And may the words of our mouth, the mediations of our heart and the responses we make be acceptable to you, O God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.