O Jesus I Have Promised

O Jesus, I have promised to serve Thee to the end;
Be Thou forever near me, my Master and my Friend;
I shall not fear the battle if Thou art by my side,
Nor wander from the pathway if Thou wilt be my Guide.

O let me feel Thee near me! The world is ever near;
I see the sights that dazzle, the tempting sounds I hear;
My foes are ever near me, around me and within;
But Jesus, draw Thou nearer, and shield my soul from sin.

O let me hear Thee speaking in accents clear and still,
Above the storms of passion, the murmurs of self will.
O speak to reassure me, to hasten or control;
O speak, and make me listen, Thou Guardian of my soul.

O Jesus, Thou hast promised to all who follow Thee
That where Thou art in glory there shall Thy servant be.
And Jesus, I have promised to serve Thee to the end;
O give me grace to follow, my Master and my Friend.

O let me see Thy footprints, and in them plant mine own;
My hope to follow duly is in Thy strength alone.
O guide me, call me, draw me, uphold me to the end;
And then in Heaven receive me, my Saviour and my Friend.

John E. Bode 1868

1989 saw me start university.  It also saw the release of the film “Dead Poets Society” (if you’ve not seen it you really should).  There is a key scene toward the end of the film, I cannot now sing Bode’s hymn without thinking of that scene. I could describe it – but you’re better seeing it.

Following Jesus is not some light and momentary thing: it is the most life defining, life changing decision any man or woman can make.  But Christianity is not for the well, the brave, the strong and the mighty – coming to Jesus robs you of any of those delusional pretensions.

It is not that I am strong that Christ Jesus called me to Himself.  It is not that I am heroic that Heaven saw the need for my endeavours.  It is not my intellectual capacities or my winsome character (both of which are severely limited) that drew God to me!

It is all and only for Christ.  It was not valiant of me to decide to follow Jesus – there is no one else, nowhere else, to go – no voice to listen to, no wisdom to gain and no pilgrimage to go on.  Jesus calls and we follow because in Him alone is life and hope.  He calls us and we go and are totally changed by Him; into His likeness, to His glory, in His presence for all eternity.

Jesus is my Captain – it is a privilege to serve Him.  That privilege is life itself.

Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Saviour, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

Jude 24-25