Guide Me Ever, Great Redeemer (ELW 618)
Devotion
Guide me ever, great Redeemer,
pilgrim through this barren land.
I am weak, but you are mighty;
hold me with your pow'rful hand.
Bread of heaven, bread of heaven,
feed me now and evermore,
feed me now and evermore.
Open now the crystal fountain
where the healing waters flow;
let the fire and cloudy pillar
lead me all my journey through.
Strong deliv'rer, strong deliv'rer,
shield me with your mighty arm,
shield me with your mighty arm.
When I tread the verge of Jordan,
bid my anxious fears subside;
death of death and hell's destruction,
land me safe on Canaan's side.
Songs and praises, songs and praises,
I will raise forevermore,
I will raise forevermore.
As I was returning home from an outdoor ministry meeting, I stopped for gas, paid at the pump, and then went inside to buy a bag of jawbreakers. The clerk behind the counter told me how much I owed for the gas and the candy.
"I paid for the gas at the pump," I said.
"Not according to this register," she shot back.
"I have the receipt to prove it," I angrily protested, and was about to add some unkind words when I noticed the sticker on my shirt. I'd put it on at the meeting. It was the theme for summer camp: Walking the Jesus Way. I suddenly realized how obviously I was representing the Way in that moment, for better or worse.
How easily I stray from "walking the Jesus way." How grateful I am for a great Redeemer who ever guides us and holds us with powerful, scarred hands.
Prayer
Guide us, Lord, through every moment of our days as we seek to walk the Jesus way. Amen.