My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less (ELW 596)
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
No merit of my own I claim,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
(Refrain)
On Christ, the solid rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand.
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)
His oath, his covenant, his blood
Sustain me in the raging flood;
When all supports are washed away,
He then is all my hope and stay. (Refrain)
When he shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then with him be found,
Clothed in his righteousness alone,
Redeemed to stand before the throne! (Refrain)
Devotion
There are many things in life that can stress us to a point where we wonder if things will ever improve. Our experience with COVID-19 quickly comes to mind. It wasn’t that long ago that our schools were closed, we wore masks, participated in zoom meetings, and stayed at home as much as we could. In the middle of it all, Russia invades Ukraine. We can hardly wait for both of these experiences to end.
But what do we do in the meantime as we wait. We pray and we pray some more. I think it’s good for us to pray, keeping alive the hope that wars will cease and that science will advance in ways that will put an end to the fright of pandemics. In the meantime we will hope and see God’s all-sufficient grace at work.
Prayer
God of Peace, we pray that those who are the most vulnerable to the horrors of war and disease will see signs of a new hope that strengthens and sustains life. Here we give thanks and join in faithful song: “On Christ the solid rock I stand; all other ground is sinking sand.” Amen.