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.
I pass through trials all the way,
With sin and ills contending;
In patience I must bear each day
The cross of God's own sending.
When in adversity
I know not where to flee,
When storms of woe my soul dismay,
I pass through trials all the way.
And death pursues me all the way,
Nowhere I rest securely;
He comes by night, he comes by day,
He takes his prey most surely.
A failing breath, and I
In death's strong grasp may lie
To face eternity today
As death pursues me all the way.
I walk with angels all the way,
They shield me and befriend me;
All Satan's pow'r is held at bay
When heavenly hosts attend me;
They are my sure defense,
All fear and sorrow, hence!
Unharmed by foes, do what they may,
I walk with angels all the way.
I walk with Jesus all the way,
His guidance never fails me;
Within His wounds I find a stay
When Satan's pow'r assails me;
And by His footsteps led,
My path I safely tread.
No evil leads my soul astray;
I walk with Jesus all the way.
My walk is heavenward all the way;
Await, my soul, the morrow,
When God's good healing shall allay
All suff'ring, sin, and sorrow.
Then, worldly pomp, be gone!
To heav'n I now press on.
For all the world I would not stay;
My walk is heavenward all the way.
LSB 716
Several years ago, when I polled family and friends, colleagues and parishioners, adults and children, concerning those hymns that meant the most to them, I "discovered" this hymn as one that was listed by every single one of the children who responded to my "survey." Not only did all of the children list this hymn, many of them made a point of commenting that it was definitely one of their favorites.
ReplyDeleteThe tune is perhaps not one of the strongest, though it is pleasant, not off-putting. Too bad Johann Crueger didn't write something for this hymn. But the text is great; and, as near as I can tell, it is the text that especially endears this hymn to the little children. There is strong comfort in its confession of Christ in the face of sin, death, the devil and hell.
I have to confess that the hymn had never registered on my radar screen until a pastor posted it up on ALPB forum in response to a sad post by Pr. McCain about a pastor committing suicide. I sat down and played it. I agree not the best tune, but not unpleasant. It's a great, great text.
ReplyDeleteJust some input from someone who has used this hymn for many years ... In the ELS tradition, this hymn is regularly used as the chief hymn on Lent 1 (for those of us who use the historic lectionary). Also on that day, if you look at ELH, it is recommended to use A Mighty Fortress. But this hymn you cite is quite a standard in our circles, and Pastor Brorson is highly esteemed. (By the way, he himself suffered throughout his life in the struggle with despondency; see Mark DeGarmeaux's ELH Website, the Hymn Authors' Biographies in the Handbook section of his website.)
ReplyDeleteAlso in the observance of Michaelmas, it is common to use v. 4, "I walk with angels ..." but often used in concert with v. 5 about Christ and His wounds, or with v. 6 about the heavenward walk. I submit that v. 5 is heavily oriented toward the Sacrament of the Altar, with the emphasis about having a stay within His wounds.
I know that in LCMS you are familiar with Brorson's "Behold a Host" and "Thy Little Ones." But you really should also look at ELH 70 "I See Thee Standing, Lamb of God" -- which is wonderful on All Saints' Day; ELH 215 "O Father, May Thy Word Prevail" -- which I use prominently in our Augsburg Confession service each year at the end of June; and ELH 150 "In This Our Happy Christmastide," for Christmas 1, of which may I give you just a taste?
That God has laid His anger by,
He by His gift hath shown us;
He gives His Son for us to die,
In Him He now doth own us;
These joyful tidings tell abroad,
That Jesus Christ, the Son of God,
From sin doth us deliver;
Who then should not be glad today
When Christ is born, the sinners' stay,
Who is of grace the giver?
As darkest night must fade and die
Before the sun's appearing,
So fades my grief away, when I
Think on these tidings cheering,
That God from all eternity
Hath loved the world, and hath on me
Bestowed His grace and favor;
I'll ne'er forget the angels' strain:
Peace -- peace on earth, good will to men,
To you is born a Savior!
Although my joyful Christmas lay
Is mingled with my sighing,
The cross shall never take away
My joy and praise undying;
For when the heart is most opprest,
The harp of joy is tuned the best,
The better strains are ringing,
The cross itself, at Jesus' will,
Must aid my soul, that I may still
In grief His praise be singing.
ELH#150 v. 4-6
Peace in Christ,
Rev. Jerry Gernander
Jerry,
ReplyDeleteThat is absolutely gorgeous! Thanks!!! You've inspired me to pull out my ELH and sing - besides, you all have Es ist ein Kind geboren, and we don't!
You didn't know "I Walk in Danger"? Okay, once you learn it well, here's what you do. While you're singing stanza 1, look at the words to stanza 4, like transparencies put together. Likewise, stanza 2 and 5 go together, and stanzas 3 and 6. It's mega-cool. Check it out.
ReplyDelete