Sermon Tone Analysis

O MASTER LET ME WALK WITH ME

We're continuing our series in which we're looking at the stories behind some of our best-loved hymns.

Today we'll look at a hymn that was born out of a deeply moving event in the life of a discouraged pastor.

The story takes place in the year 1879.

This pastor — his name was Washington Gladden — found himself overcome with discouragement.

He had been serving God for 20 years, but had yet to see much fruit in his ministry.

He was also beset by personal problems and family problems.

And now he was at the point of despair — frustrated and discouraged; weak and weary.

He felt like a failure in ministry, and a failure in life.

Now, I'll give away the ending and say that in the years to come, his life and ministry would be much different.

He would write dozens of books and hundreds of articles and editorials and publish a national magazine.

He would become an influential voice in matters that shaped our cultural values in the early 20th century.

He would also pastor a thriving church in Columbus, Ohio.

But on this day in 1879 Washington Gladden couldn't see what was to come.

He could see only what was today.

He could only see his discouragement.

That afternoon he climbed up to the top of the church bell tower to be alone and to think for a while.

The thought even crossed his mind that he could jump from the ledge and make his troubles disappear.

But he didn't jump.

Instead, he poured out his heart to God, putting into words what would eventually become a hymn that has since appeared in more than 400 hymnals, and has been sung in hundreds of thousands of churches throughout the world for the last century and a half.

This is what he wrote...

O master let me walk with thee

In lowly paths of service free

Tell me Thy secret; help me bear

The strain of toil, the fret of care.

Reverend Gladden experienced what every pastor, every staff member, every Christian worker, every missionary, every leader has experienced.

He experienced what every person who desires to live a difference-making life has experienced.

I'm talking about discouragement.

Disappointment.

Frustration.

Fatigue.

Not the kind of fatigue where your body is worn out.

The kind of fatigue where your soul is worn out.

Where your will is worn out.

And you're not sure how much longer you can carry on.

You find yourself saying:

"I've tried and tried and tried to make this marriage work, and I feel like I'm the only one that's trying.

And I'm tempted to throw in the towel."

"I've tried and tried and tried to train my children in the way they should go, and the more I try, the more they seem to resist."

"I've tried and tried and tried to serve in this area of ministry, or lead in this area of ministry, because I want to do good in the lives of others, but no one seems to care."

"I've tried and tried and tried to build my business or do my job with integrity because I know that I have something of value to offer this community, but no one seems to find use in anything I do."

I think we have all, at one time or another, experienced this level of discouragement — and, by the way, if you haven't yet, I can assure you that you someday will.

The more you strive to accomplish something good in your life, the more certain you can be that at some point you'll have to deal with the demon of discouragement.

It's the kind of discouragement that leads to a fatigue of the soul, and it causes us to just want to get up and get out and get away from it all.

We all get discouraged from time-to-time.

We all go through seasons in which the results we hope to see never come together.

Churches organize an ambitious ministry event and nobody shows up; writers spend months and months pouring their heart and soul into a book, and no publisher wants to publish it, or no reader wants to read it; parents make sacrifices to provide opportunities for their children and the sacrifices go unnoticed and opportunities go ignored.

It's inevitable that you will experience certain kinds of disappointments throughout your life, but you don't have to succumb to soul fatigue; you don't have to come to the end of your rope.

There's a way to power through these days of disappointment.

And even when your circumstances don't change right away, you can discover a renewed attitude — a renewed perspective — that will enable you to carry on and walk in victory.

The Apostle Paul was not unaware of what discouragement can do to a believer.

For this reason, in the book of Galatians he tells us to be on guard against it, and he shows us how to overcome it.

Today we'll look at a few verses in Galatians that show us how to avoid soul fatigue.

You do that by developing, instead, a soul-empowering, soul-refreshing attitude toward Christian service.

So, today I want to talk to you about three adjustments we need to make in relation to our ministry mindset and what motivates us to do what we do.

We'll be looking at a few verses in and 6; our key verse is chapter six, verse nine.

9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

If you're struggling with discouragement and you're on the verge of soul-fatigue, here are three key areas of focus I encourage you to consider.

First of all...

1. Focus on the good you do rather than the good you hope to get.

Another way to say it is: Focus more on sowing, and less on reaping.

Focus more on your job performance, and less on your payday.

Make no mistake: the payday is good.

It's good to see results from your hard work.

And, of course, I'm not just talking financially.

It's good to see lives being changed.

It's good to see relationships get better.

It's good to hear others express appreciation for all your effort.

We all want to feel useful and we all want to feel like we're making a valuable contribution, so it's good when the results start rolling in — this goes without saying.

But the key distinction is this.

We must each ask ourselves: What motivates me more — the work or the reward?

What motivates me more — the process of sowing, or the prospect of reaping?

I can tell you this: The more passion you have for the process of sowing, the less likely you are to become weary in well-doing.

The more passion you have for the work itself, the less likely you are to succumb to soul fatigue.

Great writers are motivated more by the process of writing than the mere prospect of selling books.

Great musicians are motivated more by the process of making music than the mere prospect of selling records.

It's not that they don't want to see results, it's that the results are secondary to the process itself.

It's the same in the Christian life.

We're called to serve more than we're called to succeed.

We're called to minister to others more than we're called to build a huge following.

In God's economy, we are measured more by our faithfulness than by our results.

Our emphasis needs to be — and our motivation needs to be — more about the process of serving than the prospect of payback.

That's why Paul says...

2 Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

We are called to serve others, and life's greatest satisfaction comes in service itself, not in the success that may or may not follow.

It's this idea of serving others that Washington Gladden spoke of in the second verse...

Help me the slow of heart to move

By some clear, winning word of love;

Teach me the wayward feet to stay,

And guide them in the homeward way.

Yes, he wanted to see the fruit of his labor, but his prayer was for the labor itself.

Here's what I'm saying: Ask God to give you a passion for the labor itself.

If you're struggling with soul fatigue, ask God to re-ignite your passion for the process of sowing, and to re-ignite your passion for the ministry of serving others.

"God, give me a passion for serving my wife, serving my husband, serving my family — not so they'll do what I want them to, but because I love serving them."

"God, give me a passion for this area of ministry to which you've called me — not for the rewards that may come along down the road, but for the mere joy of serving you."

"Give me a passion, Lord, for the labor to which I'm called — not so I can get a promotion or earn a raise, but so I can bring a blessing into the lives of others."

I can tell you this: The more passion you have for the labor itself, the less likely you are to give in to soul fatigue.

Let's look at the second area of focus.

2. Focus on God's proper timing rather than your preferred timing.