Sunday, April 7, 2024  

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Today's Hymn
“Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah”

Open now thy crystal fountain,
whence the healing stream doth flow.
Let the fire and cloudy pillar
lead me all my journey through.
Strong deliverer, strong deliverer,
be thou still my strength and shield;
be thou still my strength and shield.

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 of praises, songs of praises
I will ever give to thee, I will ever give to thee.

by William Williams
Hymn 65, Glory to God
verse 2–3

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Reflection

We humans hate uncertainty, and it’s not our fault. Our anxiety and discomfort are products of evolution. Anxious, early humans who avoided uncertainty had a survival advantage. Those instincts are part of our DNA. Still, modern life has made it even harder to tolerate uncertainty.

Think about it. If you want the answer to any question, just ask your device. If you want to know whether a restaurant will be good and comfortable, just head to your favorite search engine. If you wonder if that first date is worth your time, glance at their social media. We have very little patience for life’s uncertainties, and we become progressively more anxious when faced with the unknown.

The people of God are no strangers to uncertainty. We floated in an ark to await dry land. We wandered in the desert in search of a home. We huddled in a locked room hoping for resurrection.

God’s people have always been on the verge of Jordan. The Jordan River marked the border of the Promised Land for the Israelites, but its meaning is more than geographical. It represents the inevitable crossing into an unknown future. William William’s hymn acknowledges the very real human emotions that accompany this threshold: anxiety, fear of the unknown, trepidation.

Behavioral scientists tell us that the first step to living in this uncertainty is to look at the facts, the data, that which is unchangeable, and identify the solid ground.

Well, here is our solid ground: We are not left to navigate this crossing alone. God, our strong deliverer, is alongside us. God, our strength and shield, is our guide. God, who is the Death of death, leads us into everlasting life.

Yes, uncertainty is inevitable, but in God we have a future that is more than certain — a future full of abundant life, love, and unending joy. And that is worth our songs of praise.

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Prayer
With a heart full of joy, I lift my voice in songs of praise to you, O God. For even in my anxious fears, my thanks will be a constant melody of praise. Amen.

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Written by Shawn Fiedler, Major Gifts Officer

Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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