The inspired Apostle Paul declared: “If God is for us, who can be against us? … For I am convinced neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus, our Lord.” (Romans 8:31, 38-39) I walk in danger all the way, the thought shall never leave me That Satan, who has marked his prey, is plotting to deceive me. This foe with hidden snares may seize me unawares If I should fail to watch and pray. I walk in danger all the way.
In this familiar hymn, Hans Brorson sums up a Christian’s walk through life. Though often unaware, the devil seeks to destroy our souls with his schemes, deceits, and lies. Every day his ally, our sinful flesh, tries to raise its ugly head in our lives. Every day we walk in danger of being deceived by the world in which we live. The odds of a Christian losing his or her faith are three to one against him or her. Wherever we turn there are dangers, both from within and without. And we are resolved to ask, “What can we do?” Are we fighting a losing battle?
Did you read the words of Romans 8 above? St. Paul triumphantly shouts, “No, look to the love of God demonstrated in Christ Jesus our Lord who died on the cross only to take up His life again in triumph over death and the grave.”
St. Paul also wrote to give us confidence in this, that “He who began a good work in you [namely bringing you to faith in Jesus] will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)
Our Lord isn’t about to give up on us now. Our Lord doesn’t begin a project and then walk away from it. Hans Brorson knew that. He began his hymn with the words: “I walk in danger all the way,” but look at how he concludes the hymn: My walk is heavenward all the way; await, my soul, the morrow, when God’s good healing shall allay all suffering, sin, and sorrow. Then, worldly pomp, be gone! To heaven I now press on. For all the world I would not stay; my walk is heavenward all the way.
Thanks to the cross! As a Christian, only two things can happen in your life and both of them are good. The one is that while we live our Savior is with us. The other is that when we die, we will be with our Savior. In either case, you will always be together. Thanks to the cross, we can live and die triumphantly!
Each month a member of the Cook County Ministerium will offer Spiritual Reflections. This month’s contributor is The Rev. Dean Rudloff, pastor of Life In Christ Lutheran Church affiliated with the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.
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