Hymn 396 - Oh, For a Faith that Will Not Shrink

This weekend our worship service is going to discuss faith. Christians and non-Christians alike talk about faith often. But there are often misunderstandings about what faith is, or whose work it it. Faith is a gift from God, and it is the means by which we become recipients of Christ's work for us. True faith rests in the promises of God and His strength, and not our own. 

This weekend we are studying a hymn which prays for the kind of faith that will help us in the troubles of life. William Bathurst wrote the familiar hymn "Oh, for a faith that will not shrink" which is hymn 396 in The Lutheran Hymnal. Bathurst was a priest in the Church on England for most of his life and this is probably his best known hymn.

The first 5 stanza develop a prayer for a faith that stands firm against the enemies of our God, and in the pain, storms, and afflictions of life in a sinful world. As we sing these stanzas many Biblical examples will come to mind. David as he faced the mighty Goliath. The widow who was about to prepare her last meal, but whose jar of oil did not run out. The disciples in the storm on the Sea of Galilee. Joseph facing the temptation of Potiphar's wife. Daniel as he was thrown into the Lion's Den. The Children of Israel in the wilderness. The Apostle Paul as he faced death. 

The Apostle John writes:  "And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith" (1 John 5:4-5). Jesus has already won the victory over our greatest enemies. He is greater than any storm, trial or persecution we will face. We are "More than conquerors in Christ."

May the LORD bless your worship this weekend, as we pray for a faith that trusts in the LORD, whatever difficulty we face!