Guide Me Ever, Great Redeemer (Evangelical Lutheran Worship 618)
1 Guide me ever, great Redeemer,
pilgrim through this barren land.
I am weak, but you are mighty;
hold me with your pow’rful hand.
Bread of heaven, bread of heaven,
feed me now and evermore,
feed me now and evermore.
2 Open now the crystal fountain
where the healing waters flow;
let the fire and cloudy pillar
lead me all my journey through.
Strong deliv’rer, strong deliv’rer,
shield me with your mighty arm,
shield me with your mighty arm.
3 When I tread the verge of Jordan,
bid my anxious fears subside;
death of death and hell’s destruction,
land me safe on Canaan’s side.
Songs and praises, songs and praises
I will raise forevermore,
I will raise forevermore.
Text: William Williams; Music: John Hughes; Public Domain
Devotion
Some days I wish God would simply hand me the map. I want to know how everything is going to work out. I want next month’s answers before tomorrow even arrives. Instead, God keeps bringing me back to today.
Maybe that’s why I love the hymn “Guide Me Ever, Great Redeemer.” It doesn’t ask God to reveal the entire journey. It simply asks God to lead.
The Israelites knew what it was like to wake up each morning wondering if there would be enough. Yet God faithfully provided manna—enough for that day. Not enough to answer every question about tomorrow, but enough to teach them that God could be trusted again and again.
Looking back, I can see that God has been far more faithful than my fears have been accurate.
Because tomorrow belongs to God, I am free to receive today’s grace. Perhaps that is how we learn to follow—not by seeing the whole path, but by trusting the One who walks beside us.
Prayer
Faithful Guide, thank you for leading me one day at a time. When I long for tomorrow’s answers, help me receive the grace you have given for today and trust that tomorrow rests safely in your hands. Amen.