"The God Pause Daily Devotional" from The Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States for Saturday, 3 September 2016 with Scripture: “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing” (ELW 807)

"The God Pause Daily Devotional" from The Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States for Saturday, 3 September 2016
with Scripture: “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing” (ELW 807)
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“Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing” (ELW 807)
1. Come, thou Fount of ev'ry blessing,
tune my heart to sing thy grace;
streams of mercy, never ceasing,
call for songs of loudest praise.
While the hope of endless glory
fills my heart with joy and love,
teach me ever to adore thee;
may I still thy goodness prove.
2. Here I raise my Ebenezer:
"Hither by thy help I've come";
and I hope, by thy good pleasure,
safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
wand'ring from the fold of God;
he, to rescue me from danger,
interposed his precious blood.
3. Oh, to grace how great a debtor
daily I'm constrained to be;
let that grace now like a fetter
bind my wand'ring heart to thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it;
prone to leave the God I love.
Here's my heart, oh, take and seal it;
seal it for thy courts above.
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This has been my favorite hymn for many years--ever since as a teenager I heard singer Robert Robinson sing it during a Christmas Lori Line concert. At first I was simply drawn to the captivating melody, but as time went by and I began memorizing the lyrics, I started to fully take in the words I was singing. In verse one we sing the prayer, "Tune my heart to sing thy grace..." For some reason these words remind me of the counsel of my preaching professor during my senior year of seminary: "Show people what 'grace' looks like, without using the word 'grace'." It's an impossible challenge--or so I thought at first--but even our hymn writer seeks God's help in this task. We must explore God's grace. Or perhaps sing it rather than explain it. Once this is achieved, God's glory will truly be felt.

God of wonder, you have blessed us with the gift of music—another avenue to hear and feel your grace in our lives. May we feel your mercy this day, and may you truly "tune our hearts" to sing, feel and know what your grace feels like in our hearts and souls. Amen.
Craig Wexler, '10
Pastor, Lutheran Memorial Church, Pierre, SD
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