Let Us Ever Walk with Jesus, ELW 802
Devotion
This hymn is a lovely way to imagine our call to discipleship: it's like walking with Jesus who longs to be our companion. To be sure, we will face tests and trials, suffering and sadness, and finally death, symbolized by "the grave that shuts us in." But we remember the resurrection and hold fast, for God can "make the grave the gate to heaven." The hymn is a type of life review, a retrospect that helps us see more clearly the signs of God’s presence in our lives.
Yet the author is not content to simply look back and see life's trials and then God's blessings. He asks us to "walk [or go] with Jesus" and follow his example. The problem is that exhortations to stay on the straight and narrow path seldom help us much. The hymn does more than urge us to holy living; it reminds us of the spiritual power that comes to us through our companionship with Jesus. Jesus awakens us; he is our head and our guide. With such a companion, we will not fail to arrive at our home above.
Prayer
Be our companion, Jesus, and show us the way. Amen.