bear
me through the swelling current, land me safe on Canaan’s side:
songs
of praises, songs of praises, I will ever give to Thee.
---William Williams, 1745
The world is always seeking escapes from real life. Drugs,
alcohol, gambling, excessive screen time, plastic surgery, overeating---there are countless tempting ways to try avoiding the realities of
this world. There is great allure for a hurting yet ingenious humanity to try
conquering the unpleasantness of life in the same way we have conquered space
flight, locomotion, or bacterial infection. And if we are honest, many of us
want religion to serve the same purpose as these escapes---we want
it to shield us from the unpleasantness and pain of real life.
In today’s text, the hymn writer confronts real life
head-on. No mere escape, our faith walks with us through the fearful days (and
they will come, they will come). “When I tread the verge of Jordan…” ‘When’,
not ‘if’, and not ‘if I
must’. Facing life head-on, the writer
acknowledges that death is a reality we all must face. What calms his fears is
the steadfast belief that he will land safe on the other side. Facing the choppy
waters of the Jordan, our anxious fears subside when we are accompanied by our
strong deliverer.
Songs of praises we will ever give to Thee.
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