Still Lead On
1 Peter 1`:3-6
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials,
Jesus, Still Lead On LBW 341
1 Jesus, still lead on, till our rest be won;
and, although the way be cheerless, we will follow, calm and fearless;
guide us by your hand to our Father’s land.
2 If the way be drear, if the foe be near,
let no faithless fears o’ertake us, let not faith and hope forsake us;
safely past the foe to our home we go.
3 When we seek relief from a long-felt grief,
when temptations come alluring make us patient and enduring;
show us that bright shore where we weep no more.
4 Jesus, still lead on, till our rest be won;
heav’nly leader, still direct us, still support, console, protect us,
till we safely stand in our Father’s land.
Text: Nicolaus L. von Zinzendorf, 1700-1760; tr. Jane L. Borthwick, 1813-1897, alt.
The author of this hymn was a Danish count, a person of substance and wealth, who allowed Moravian missionaries to stay at his estate. Moravians, an offshoot of Lutheranism, were not considered kosher by the religious authorities of their day (in Denmark that was the State Lutheran Church), and his support of them was not looked upon well. Later on a visit to the king of Denmark he met a freed slave from the West Indies who had been a benefactor of Moravian Missionaries. From him he learned first-hand of the bitter conditions of the people, and as a result supported the Moravian mission with even more zeal. This decision was not looked upon kindly by slavers who made their fortunes in the slave trade. So he became the target of both religious and secular leaders and spent most of his remaining life in fear – but also utterly convinced he had done the right thing for the right reason. He wrote this hymn near his death.
The days have been hard, our politics and our passions have been hijacked, frankly we do not know where to turn or how to act. So in the midst of these trying times, it might do well for us t also remember the words of this hymn; when Count Zinzendoirff penned the words “for although the way be cheerless, we will follow, calm and fearless” he was not just waxing poetic, but speaking for us as well!
Prayer: Dearest Lord, help be tolerant, help us see clearly the needs of the people around us, help us act bravely and compassionately as our Lord has called us to do, help us to love you and to love one another; and most of all help us to walk the way calmly and fearlessly. Amen.