Wade in the Water (Evangelical Lutheran Worship 459)
Refrain:
Wade in the water, wade in the water, children,
wade in the water, God’s a-goin’a trouble the water.
1 See that host all dressed in white,
God’s a-goin’a trouble the water.
the leader looks like the Israelite,
God’s a-goin’a trouble the water. [Refrain]
2 See that band all dressed in red,
God’s a-goin’a trouble the water.
looks like the band that Moses led.
God’s a-goin’a trouble the water. [Refrain]
3 Look over yonder, what do I see?
God’s a-goin’a trouble the water.
the Holy Ghost a-coming on me,
God’s a-goin’a trouble the water. [Refrain]
4 If you don’t believe I’ve been redeemed,
God’s a-goin’a trouble the water.
just follow me down to Jordan’s stream.
God’s a-goin’a trouble the water. [Refrain]
Text and Music: African American Spiritual; Public Domain
Devotion
It is really easy to get caught up in the drama that surrounds our lives, the complications and difficulties and challenges that we face each and every day. If we are not careful, these things can become what define our identity.
In this beautiful spiritual we are reminded to “wade in the water,” to find ourselves and the source of our identity in our baptism, and not in the trying and difficult circumstances we live in. We are invited to fixate on that beautiful time when God washed us and claimed us as God’s own people. This was done for us—we couldn’t earn it or deserve it. Yet, it was done for us all the same—given to us as a gift. Martin Luther taught that we are to live each day “wet with our baptism,” to remember each and every day that this is what defines us. We are washed pure and are beloved children of God.
Prayer
Help me to remember my baptism today. Help me to let that define me. Help me to remember that I am loved and washed pure. Help me to remember that I am a beloved child of God. Amen.