My Hope is Built on Nothing Less (ELW 596, Verse 2)
2 When darkness veils his lovely face,
I rest on his unchanging grace;
in ev’ry high and stormy gale
my anchor holds within the veil.
Refrain:
On Christ, the solid rock, I stand;
all other ground is sinking sand,
all other ground is sinking sand.
Devotion
Søren Kierkegaard once said, “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” Often it is the same in our relationship with God. Sometimes the beautiful shining face of God is veiled and we find ourselves off balance, trying to understand what is happening to us. It is at those times, when God seems to be absent, that we need to look backward to remind ourselves of God’s faithfulness to us and to generations of people before.
Scripture is a rich source of hope. It contains the history of generations of people who have faced far more than we ever will in our lifetimes, and it shows the history of the faithfulness of our God. When we are in a dark place, its pages can be the spark that we need. It is the place we can find our hope, our anchor, the reminder of God’s unchanging grace and love.
Prayer
Faithful One, when times are dark it can be difficult for us to remember all the ways you have remained by our sides. Remind us of your love and faithfulness through the pages of your Holy Word, that we may live trusting in the resurrection hope. Amen.