WOV 739 "In All Our Grief" (stanzas 3 and 4)
Devotion
In the last two stanzas of this hymn, the focus turns from us to God. A lament of human weakness and failure becomes a proclamation of God's gift in Christ, as well as a prayer of confidence in God who truly abides with us in all our grief and fear.
Paul Claudel has it right, "Jesus did not come to explain away suffering or remove it. He came to fill it with his presence." Often in times of great vulnerability and suffering we are most aware of God's presence. When we are not aware, this hymn provides a comforting meditation on the amazing grace of God in Christ.
"It is God's pleasure that the wicked turn from the evil and live" (Ezekiel 33:11), that we "put on Christ" (Romans 13:14) and "walk in the newness of life" (Romans 6:4). This hymn helps us to confess our sin and assures us of God's presence at all times. Thanks be to God.