"How sweet the name of Jesus sounds In a believer's ear!
It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds, And drives away his fear.
It makes the wounded spirit whole And calms the troubled breast;
'Tis manna to the hungry soul And to the weary, rest."

Peter and his two companions fell to the ground in overpowering fright when God spoke to them in His unapproachable majesty from the bright cloud on the Mount of Transfiguration. [Matthew 17:5] But all terror left them when they felt Jesus touching them and heard His reassuring voice, "Be not afraid." Lifting up their eyes, they no longer beheld Moses and Elias and the vision of heaven's rapturous glory; they saw no one except Jesus. And in Him they were sufficiently and abidingly blessed.

Happy are we if, in all the terrifying conditions that may surround us in life or in death, we see no man nor anything save Jesus only. When the terrifying light of God's accusing and condemning Law shines into our trembling hearts, happy are we if we see no merit or worth in ourselves, but see Jesus only and His all-sufficient and redeeming merit. When great misfortune comes upon us and it seems as if God and man had forsaken us, happy are we if we see Jesus only and hear His reassuring voice, "Be not afraid. I will never leave thee nor forsake thee."

In the throes of death, when our agonizing soul cries out in fear, "Save, save, Lord, I perish!" Happy are we if with our closing eyes we can still see Jesus standing near and hear Him say: "I am the Resurrection and the Life. Thou shalt not die but live with Me in My Father's house above."

[devotion text by Rev. F. W. Herzberger (1920) -
from the Family Altar - CPH (1957 edition)]
read preface from book (opens in a new window)