Think on Me

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
To this end we always pray for you, asking that our God will make you worthy of his call and will fulfil by his power every good resolve and work of faith, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

 Lord Jesus, Think on Me LBW 309

 1    Lord Jesus, think on me, and purge away my sin;
     from selfish passions set me free and make me pure within.

2    Lord Jesus, think on me, by anxious thoughts oppressed;
      let me your loving servant be and taste your promised rest.

3    Lord Jesus, think on me, nor let me go astray;
      through darkness and perplexity point out your chosen way.

4    Lord Jesus, think on me, that, when the flood is past,
      I may the eternal brightness see and share your joy at last.

Text: Synesius of Cyrene, 375-430; tr. Allen W. Chatfield, 1808-1896, alt.

            Not too many hymns still being sung that were written by a 4th century philosopher from Cyrene.  At that time the church was newly minted, having just been declared legal by the emperor. Synesius was a philosopher who at that time was mostly known for tracts about curing baldness, speech impediments and dreams.  Not exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer. 

            But at the age of 33 he married a Christian woman and reconciled his pagan beliefs with Christian doctrine.  His faith caught fire, his pen became mightier than the sword, and eventually he rose to be the Bishop of Cyrene, the place where a man named “Simon” originated who carried the cross of Jesus through the streets of Jerusalem on the day of the crucifixion.  

            This hymn came from a poem he wrote about his own cross bearing faith journey; a journey reflected in the 2nd and 3rd verses where he writes; “Lord Jesus, think on me, by anxious thoughts oppressed; let me your loving servant be and taste your promised rest. Lord Jesus, think on me, nor let me go astray; through darkness and perplexity point out your chosen way!”

Prayer:  Lord Jesus, our journey through Lent begins: think on us.  In our discouragement, give us hope, in our uncertainty give us a sure and certain faith, and in our meandering, give us purpose.  Point out your chosen way!  Amen.