“My Life Flows on in Endless Song” ELW 763 & WOV 781
1 My life flows on in endless song; above earth's lamentation,
I catch the sweet, though far-off hymn that hails a new creation.
Refrain
No storm can shake my inmost calm while to that Rock I'm clinging.
Since Christ is Lord of heaven and earth, how can I keep from singing?
2 Through all the tumult and the strife,
I hear that music ringing.
It finds an echo in my soul.
How can I keep from singing?
Refrain
3 What though my joys and comforts die?
The Lord my Savior liveth.
What though the darkness gather round?
Songs in the night he giveth.
Refrain
4 The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart, a fountain ever springing!
All things are mine since I am his!
How can I keep from singing?
Refrain
Devotion
I love how the four verses of this hymn take us through the reality of a life lived with Christ. We begin by rejoicing in our Creator and our sense of being a part of something larger than ourselves. Then, reality strikes and we find ourselves wrestling with things that don’t easily work themselves out. When it gets really bad, our ‘joys and comforts’ may indeed die – taking with them all our hopes and dreams for the future. This is a dangerous place where we may give up even on Jesus. But finally Jesus himself will give us refreshment and peace that goes beyond our experiences on earth or our power to control them. This hymn has the message that we will struggle, sometimes to the point of death, but our struggle does not negate Christ’s power over all.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, give me a song in my dark night. Amen.