On Jordan’s Stormy Bank I Stand (ELW 437)
1 On Jordan’s stormy bank I stand,
and cast a wishful eye
to Canaan’s fair and happy land,
where my possessions lie.
Refrain:
I am bound for the promised land,
I am bound for the promised land;
oh, who will come and go with me?
I am bound for the promised land.
2 All o’er those wide extended plains
shines one eternal day;
there God the Son forever reigns
and scatters night away. [Refrain]
3 No chilling winds or pois’nous breath
can reach that healthful shore;
sickness and sorrow, pain and death,
are felt and feared no more. [Refrain]
4 When shall I reach that happy place
and be forever blest?
When shall I see my Savior’s face
and in God’s bosom rest? [Refrain]
Devotion
We are bound for the promised land. While wars rage, winds blow, fires burn, viruses spread, and grief strikes, know that whatever we face in life, God is walking with us, healing us, and opening up the doors of heaven for all God’s people.
We often cast a wishful eye upon things we don’t have. We have a jealous spirit that looks at the good life others have and wish we had a taste of it. But we are called to place our trust in God, to be confident that God’s promises will not forsake us, even when it seems that our pathways are different or not as bright as those of others around us. God’s promise is that there will come a shore where sickness, sorrow, pain, and death are felt and feared no more. There is happy place, a promised land, where I will be blessed to see my Savior’s face. see. Turn to God, cast your eye on Jesus, and trust in the Holy Spirit to redeem the world—for we are indeed bound for that promised land.
Prayer
God, help me to trust that I’m bound for the promised land. Jesus was born, suffered, crucified, died, and rose again for me and now I’m bound for the promised land. Amen.