Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing, LBW 499 & ELW 807
1 Come, thou Fount of ev'ry blessing, tune my heart to sing thy grace; streams of mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise.
While the hope of endless glory fills my heart with joy and love, teach me ever to adore thee; may I still thy goodness prove.
2 Here I raise my Ebenezer: "Hither by thy help I've come"; and I hope, by thy good pleasure, safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger, wand'ring from the fold of God; he, to rescue me from danger, interposed his precious blood.
3 Oh, to grace how great a debtor daily I'm constrained to be; let that grace now like a fetter bind my wand'ring heart to thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it; prone to leave the God I love.
Here's my heart, oh, take and seal it; seal it for thy courts above.
Devotion
A few years back I attended convention for pastors held in San Diego. Each day during worship a different band provided the music. While most played modern praise songs, each was asked to add a couple of traditional hymns to their repertoire.
One band leader said, “We’ve never done traditional hymns before. But when we sang the following hymn last Sunday at our local church it was like the Holy Spirit blew through the church.”
That hymn was Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing.
In this hymn we sing, “Jesus sought me when a stranger, wandering from the fold of God … O to grace how great a debtor daily I’m constrained to be.”
What do we not owe to the grace of God? The good news of the gospel is right there in this song. As the band played, the power of God’s word swept through the building. The power of God’s word to bring hope and grace to God’s people flows through this hymn.
Prayer
Most Gracious God, we thank you for seeking us when we are lost and for saving us by your grace. Help us always to be grateful for your salvation and in gratitude to live lives devoted to your service. In Jesus’ name, Amen.