“I am no longer sad”
Somewhere Luther said that the antidote to depression is singing Psalms and hymns. He is completely right. I know of no better preacher of Christ to those in sorrow than Paul Gerhardt, and Lutheran Service Book is rich with his hymnody. I especially love the four additional stanzas we get in “If God Himself Be for Me” (LW 407; LSB 724).
It appears that LSB follows ELHB for many of the stanzas, and it seems an improvement.
Here is LW’s stanza 6:
For joy my heart is ringing; All sorrow disappears; And full of mirth and singing, It wipes away all tears. The sun that cheers my spirit Is Jesus Christ, my king; The heav’n I shall inherit Makes me rejoice and sing.Compare with LSB’s stanza 10:
My heart with joy is springing; I am no longer sad. My soul is filled with singing; Your sunshine makes me glad. The sun that cheers my spirit Is Jesus Christ, my King; The heav’n I shall inherit Makes me rejoice and sing.By making the subjects of the clauses more prominent (“My heart”; “I”; “My soul”), the singer is better prepared to confess what has driven away his sadness: “Jesus Christ, my King.” In either translation, I am grateful to God through His servant Paul Gerhardt for this beautiful hymn.
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This hymn ALWAYS lifts my heart up! What an incredibly beautiful work and confession of faith.
This hymn ALWAYS lifts my heart up! What an incredibly beautiful work and confession of faith.
oops! Sorry about the double post!