HYMN FOR PENTECOST 17 Entrust while on your journey/Great is thy Faithfulness, etc

English: Entrust while on Your Journey German: Befiehl du deine Wege Norwegian: Velt alle dine veier Text: Paul Gerhard (1607-1674) Tune: Johann Crüger (1598-16) Jesus The Good Shepherd Mosaic in Mauolemu of Galla Placidia, Ravenna 425 1. Entrust , while on your journey, All that which grieves your heart, Into the care most faithful Of him who rules the stars, To him whose power governs A way for clouds and air, For he will also find you The way he has prepared. 2. To God , whom you must trust in To bless you here on earth, Look to his works around you So that your work has worth. Your own consuming worries, Your tears or grief or cares Will not bring God to help you: Go to the Lord in prayer. 3. Your faithfulness and mercy, O Father, know and see All that is good or hurtful For all your children’s needs, For what your will has purposed You do, Almighty One, And what your wisdom pleases Is by your counsel done. 4. Ways you will find, yes always, You never lack the might, Your deeds are purest blessing, Your path is purest light, Your work cannot be hindered Your labor never rests, When you would give your children All that would serve them best. 5. And even if all devils Would try to hold their sway It never can be doubted That God will win the day. What he himself created And what he wants to be Will in the end live always Through all eternity. Paul Gerhard 6. Hope always, weary Christian, Hope, never, never fear, For God will grasp you out of The pit of sheer despair. God’s mercies will relieve you Of your anxieties. Wait patiently, his sunshine With joy you soon will see. 7. In him, rest all your sorrows, Give them a glad good night. Let go of all that troubles Your heart and causes fright. So rest, God is the ruler Of everything that is, He governs well from heaven And everything is his. 8. Him , him, let him now govern, The wisest Prince whose ways Will manage all things wisely So you will be amazed. When he, as is his nature, Will rule with power and truth And he will find solutions For all that troubles you. 9. He may delay a season And seem to let you go, As though he had intended To leave you all alone And let you be suspended In anxious groans of rue, As though he had forgotten His promises to you. 10. Will you stay true and faithful To him in whom you rest, Then he will yet deliver You when you least expect. Then he will lift your burden, And set your spirit free. You’ll see your sorrows ended In glorious liberty. 11. Yes , soon, oh child most faithful! You have your battle won! With glory and thanksgiving You’ve now received your crown! For God himself has given A palm in your right hand And now you sing in heaven With those victorious bands. 12. Bring it about, O Father, Now end our pain and need. And strengthen for our journey Our weary hands and feet And let your care surround us Steadfastly on our way As every step will lead us Toward heaven’s brighter day. Entrust to God your ways and hope in him, he will, yes, bring it about. Psalm 37:5 Tr. Gracia Grindal 2007   REFLECTION Jesus teaching his disciple James Tissot Jesus’ exchange with his disciples in Luke 17, is strange and takes some digging to get. The disciples want him to increase their faith and he tells them about a servant coming home from his daytime job, expected to do his evening duties as well, rather than get special treatment. What! Maybe the mustard seed parable helps—you don’t need much faith for it to be enough. Ultimately that should be encouraging for us. The issue isn’t whomping up more faith, the issue is going about one’s work faithfully and responsibly. That is enough. In the same way that his grace is sufficient for us in any situation, so also our faith whether great or small is sufficient. It isn’t how much, it is simply that it is there.   The Gerhard hymn above is about trust and believing in God’s care for us. Note how the first word in every stanza when combined become v. 5. “Entrust to God your ways and hope in him, he will, yes, bring it about.” That is why the hymn was sung for every occasion in the German and Scandinavian Lutheran traditions. Filled with good advice on living the faith, it teaches that faith is trusting in God, believing that his Son came to save us. From there on we are to live, strengthened by him for our journey. Quite simple. Maybe too simple Fortunately for us, as Jesus prayed once, “I thank you Father that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children.” Matthew 11:25.   The older I get and the more I know, the more I realize how really complicated I have made it, but how simple it really is. His yoke is easy, and his burden is light. Trust him.   HYMN INFO There are way too many hymns for the lectionary lessons this time. For more on this great hymn by Paul Gerhard see   https://www.hymnfortheday.com/post/hymn-for-easter-4-entrust-while-on-your-journey-heidi-s-hymn   Great is thy faithfulness works with the Lamentations lesson—see here for a sweet memory of the first days of the pandemic and something about the hymn https://www.hymnfortheday.com/post/hymn-6-great-is-thy-faithfulness LINKS Entrust while on your journey Iver Kleive De Unsynlige/Troubled Water  2008 https://youtu.be/4JQKSX5L4Zc Oslo Gospel Choir https://youtu.be/aPNhxVVDcKE Jars of Clay/Lift Up Your Head https://youtu.be/voYptcSfIUo Give to the Winds your Fears/John Wesley's translation https://youtu.be/UTDobMKOM64 Great is thy Faithfulness Cathedral singing https://youtu.be/dTKIqmdfHSk Veritas https://youtu.be/N2i7_X8RQis My latest book is available now as both book and ebook! https://www.amazon.com/What-Fellowship-Remembering-Augsburg-Seminary/dp/B0DSTBWQHG/ref=zg-te-pba_d_sccl_2_2/141-3290927-0452340?pd_rd_w=4kESz&content-id=amzn1.sym.081392b0-c07f-4fc2-8965-84d15d431f0d&pf_rd_p=081392b0-c07f-4fc2-8965-84d15d431f0d&pf_rd_r=75NWSDJBJZ3KR8D55SZ3&pd_rd_wg=gwGhv&pd_rd_r=e5b74c46-9ab4-41b6-99b9-e8ead9a9e2c8&pd_rd_i=B0DSTBWQHG&psc=1