You Have Come Down to the Lakeshore, ELW 817
Devotion
The text for today's hymn cannot be published due to copyright limitations. We apologize for the inconvenience.
I love this hymn with its reminder of this week’s story of Jesus calling the fishermen away from their nets to follow after him—so much so that shortly before I retired I received word through the congregational grape vine that there was someone who would run screaming from church if we ever sang it again.
But the words of this hymn seem so beautifully to echo this week's thoughts about trust: "you have come…only asking me to follow;" "you know what I have…my will for working;" "you need my hands, my exhaustion…a love that's willing to go on loving;" and finally, "Sweet Lord, you have looked into my eyes…now with you I will seek other seas." Perhaps like me you long for that kind of trust that would truly let me park the current boat in which I ride on the beach and follow without question. And yet, what does that trust look like, feel like, act like? It is not something we conjure up from within. It is not a lump of something we can implant. Usually it’s something we grow into, feeling our way along day by day and trusting that Jesus is using us even as we live in the uncertainty of where he is calling us.
Prayer
Jesus, open our eyes and ears and hearts and minds so we can know what you want of us. Amen.