Lord, Who Throughout These Forty Days
Lord, who throughout these forty days,
For us did fast and pray,
Teach us with you to mourn our sins,
And close by you to stay.
As you with Satan did contend,
And did the vict’ry win,
O give us strength in you to fight,
In you to conquer sin.
As you did hunger bear and thirst,
So teach us, gracious Lord,
To die to self, and always live
By your most holy word.
And through these days of penitence,
And through your Passiontide,
Forevermore, in life and death,
O Lord, with us abide.
Abide with us that when this life
Of suffering is past,
An Easter of unending joy
We may attain at last!
This hymn is based on the story of Jesus’ time in the wilderness and the temptations he faced. Read once again Matthew 4:1-11. In the hymn the concepts of sin, evil, and temptation are the primary focus with an understanding that Jesus can help us deal with these issues. Notice that Easter is used as a metaphor of eternal life. For your reflection: What are your temptations? Make a list and be specific How are they different or similar to those of Jesus? How do I deal with my temptations? What can I do during this Lent to seriously deal with sin and temptation in my life? How can I “die to self and chiefly live by thy most holy word?” How have “angels” ministered to me as they did to Jesus? Claudia F. Hernaman (1838-1898) wrote about 150 hymns, mostly for children. She also translated Latin hymns into English. She lived in England, the daughter of a minister of the Church of England, and the wife of a minister. She was co-compiler of the hymnal Altar Hymnal. May these 40 days bring healing and grace once again into your life.
Joyce D. Sohl, Laywoman-in-Residence
Joyce D. Sohl has been Laywoman-in-Residence since 2009 as a full-time volunteer. She retired as CEO of United Methodist Women in 2004. She is the author of 4 books, a teacher, retreat leader, writer and non-professional musician. Here at the Center her work is in the area of Spirituality & the Arts with such programs as Tuesdays in the Chapel, Vespers & All That Jazz, Poet’s Corner, quarterly retreats, and art exhibits.