At Christ Presbyterian Church, we often sing “Lord, Dismiss Us with Thy Blessing” as a concluding hymn for our Sunday corporate worship. This beautiful hymn was composed by the 18th-century British Baptist minister John Fawcett, who also penned the beloved classic “Blest Be the Tie That Binds.”
Fawcett’s lyrics beautifully portray life on this earth as a journey through a wilderness which is one of the major biblical themes. Daily life in this fallen world can be a spiritually exhausting journey that requires continuous divine refreshment. Recognizing this weariness, the first verse opens with a heartfelt prayer for grace:
“O refresh us, o refresh us,
Trav’ling through this wilderness.
While the hymn acknowledges our earthly struggles, the third stanza shifts focus to the believer’s eschatological hope. As Christians, we live with an eternal perspective—ready at any moment to step out of time and into eternity. The final verse declares that when our earthly days are complete, and God in His infinite love calls us home, we can answer that final summons with absolute gladness.
Because Jesus Christ has completely conquered the grave, we no longer have to fear death. Death is no longer a dreaded foe, but rather a reluctant usher that carries us directly into glory:
So that when thy love shall call us,
Saviour, from the world away,
Let no fear of death appall us,
Glad thy summons to obey:
May we ever, may we ever,
Reign with thee in endless day.
Is that your hope and confidence, dear reader? Can you say that you are ready and glad to obey the summons of your savior to leave this world and reign with him in endless day? That confidence comes by faith in Christ alone.
Confex Makhalira 