"Leaning on Thee, my God, guided along the road, nothing between."

“Leaning on Thee, my God, guided along the road, nothing between.”

Hymn: “No, Not Despairingly” – Horatius Bonar (1808-1889)
Tune: KEDRON

You know already from past posts that this is one of my favorite hymn texts, replete with pithy hymnlines. I go to this hymn when I’m at the apex of my contemplative arc! If you’re not familiar with this one, grab your hymnal now and GET familiar with it.

The line I’m using today is the final one; this is the thought that lingers after the last chord is sounded and silence sets in, echoing through our mind and heart: “Nothing between. Nothing between. Nothing between.”

If we were to lean so heavily upon the Savior that nothing could be inserted between us, THAT would be a close affiliation – and wouldn’t that be a marvelous way of making our way in the world today. (Cheers!)

This merging of our life into his – or better yet his merging his life into ours – is a situation into which we would will ourselves down deep in the cravings of our soul. We want there to be a melding. Our desire is to be absorbed into the very being of God as revealed in Christ Jesus. For most of us who share piety*, this is a common goal.

All this talk of an overlapping relationship gives me much to “chew on” for the next several hours, and it causes me to take my prayer from another, probably more familiar gospel song: “Just a closer walk with thee… Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.” Amen.



* - “Piety” or “being pious” is not a negative stance. It simply indicates a deep devotion to God and to kingdom living. Piety is not spiritual snobbery.