Monday, March 7

Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him take up his cross and follow me.

Matthew 16:24

LORD, WE ARE ABLE

In the church where I grew up we used to sing this hymn:

“Are ye able,” said the Master, “To be crucified with Me?” “Yea,” the sturdy dreamers answer, “To the death we follow Thee.”

We sang it heartily and lustily. It had a nice tune. But did we pay any attention to the words? To the commitment we were making? And do we pay any more attention today than we did then?

Lent is a time of contemplation and re-commitment. Let’s listen to the words we sing and continue with the hymn in honesty and dedication:

“Are ye able,” still the Master Whispers down eternity, And heroic spirits answer Now as then in Galilee. “Lord we are able, our spirits are Thine, Remold them, make us like Thee divine. Thy guiding radiance above us shall be A beacon to God, to love, and loyalty.”

Oh Lord and Master of us all, turn our hearts from those of “sturdy dreamers” to those of “heroic spirits” so that when you ask, we may say in all truth, “Lord we are able.” Amen.

Helen Wunch
from the 1995 Lenten Devotional