Unless stated otherwise, my source for hymn texts and tunes is The Lutheran Service Book.

Friday, March 8, 2024

"Jesus, Grant That Balm and Healing"

Last month, I watched the Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service from 23 February.  The hymn was "Jesus, Grant That Balm and Healing."  I wrote about the Biblical sources for the hymn years ago, but after hearing it again, I found two more relevant passages.

The first two lines of the fifth verse are "O my God, my rock and tower, / Grant that in Your death I trust."  The image of God as a tower also occurs in Psalm 61:3 ("for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy") and in Proverbs 18:10 ("The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.").