Psalm 37:5 - Sunday’s hymn of the day
Entrust Your Days and Burdens, (LSB 754).
In the midst of our busy and hurried lives it is easy to lose sight that
it is the Lord who orders our days and directs our path. Thus the hymn writer
will remind us, “For He who guides the
tempests along their thunderous ways will find for you a pathway and guide you
all your days.” Place you confidence in Him. He can be trusted at His word.
We can rely on Him as we recall what He has done.
This hymn, by the great Lutheran pastor and hymn-writer Paul
Gerhardt (1607-1676), speaks of the absolute trust and confidence we have in
God because of all He has done for us. The tune (SUFFICIENTIA) is by Stephen R.
Johnson, a Lutheran church musician living in Mahopac, NY.
Stanza One:
Entrust your days and
burdens To God’s most loving hand; He cares for you while ruling The sky, the
sea, the land. For He who guides the tempests Along their thunderous ways Will
find for you a pathway And guide you all your days.
God is the Creator of all, from the tiniest atom to the
largest galaxy and beyond. That same God cares for you, so what is there to
fear? As the Psalmist says, “Those who
trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides
forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people,
from this time forth and forevermore.” (Psalm 125:1-2). God will guide us
through the storms of this life unto our eternal home with Him.
Stanza Two:
Rely on God your Savior
And find your life secure. Make His work your foundation That your work may
endure. No anxious thought, no worry, No self-tormenting care Can win your
Father’s favor; His heart is moved by prayer.
Christ is your Redeemer, so with Paul you can “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will
say, rejoice...do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer
and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And
the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and
minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:4-7). Christ is the one mediator with the
Father, interceding on our behalf and for our benefit. Christ is our brother
and God is our Father, so we can ask Him with all boldness and confidence as
dear children ask their dear father.
Stanza Three:
Take heart, have hope,
my spirit, And do not be dismayed; God helps in every trial And makes you
unafraid. Await His time with patience Through darkest hours of night Until the
sun you hoped for Delights your eager sight.
Christians live as people of hope, knowing that the sure and
certain promises of Christ are true. Though we endure the troubles of this
world, we know that Christ has defeated the darkness and the Light of the World
is coming soon. Confident in this, we wait with patience for Christ’s return on
the Last Day.
Stanza Four:
Leave all to His
direction; His wisdom rules for you In ways to rouse your wonder At all His
love can do. Soon He, His promise keeping, With wonderworking powers Will
banish from your spirit What gave you troubled hours.
St. Peter writes, “Humble
yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time
he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”
(1 Peter 5:6-7). We need not worry, for Christ fights for us, keeping at bay
the powers of evil, no matter how bleak things look. He invites us to give Him
our burdens and take His yoke upon us, for His yoke is easy and His burden is
light.
Stanza Five:
O blessed heir of
heaven You’ll hear the song resound Of endless jubilation When you with life
are crowned. In your right hand your maker Will place the victor’s palm, And
you will thank Him gladly With heaven’s joyful psalm.
Oh, the wonder and glories of heaven! This is what we long
for: to be with the Lord in that place where there will be no sorrow or tears
and where Christ will be our light forevermore.
Stanza Six:
Our hands and feet,
Lord, strengthen; With joy our spirits bless Until we see the ending Of all our
life’s distress. And so throughout our lifetime Keep us within Your care And at
our end then bring us To heaven to praise You there.
Confident of the joys of the life to come, we pray that God
would strengthen us while we sojourn here on Earth. He will keep us in His care
throughout our lives and take us to be with Him. What wonderful promises we
have, promises that are sure and certain because of Christ’s death and
resurrection for us and for all people.[2]
[1] Luther’s Seal copyright © Ed Riojas, Higher Things
[2] https://www.graceauburn.org/kantors-hymn-studies/2020/7/31/entrust-your-days-and-burdens-lsb-754
[3] Collect for Proper 12, Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis
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