LBW #552, “In Thee is Gladness”
Devotion
Verse 1
In Thee is gladness, Amid all sadness, Jesus sunshine of my heart.
By thee are given The gifts of heaven, Thou the true redeemer art.
Our souls thou wakest; Our bonds thou breakest.
Who trusts thee surely has built securely And stands forever: Alleluia!
The texts for this week promise life, but always in the awareness of life’s shadows. “Gladness amid all sadness” points to a salvation that does not depend on the forces and fortunes of this world. Our instincts are to hope in them.
Trust in Christ seems at first counter-intuitive and illogical. Yet as faith deepens, expressions such as this one appear in song and story, prayer and poem the world over. It is as though the vision cannot be contained or curtailed. It must express itself. It grows only stronger.
Prayer
Dear Jesus, our instincts are to trust in the forces and fortunes of this world. “Amid all sadness” dear Lord, “lead us to gladness” in you. May we be captured by the enduring life that comes through you.