| Verse 1 He leadeth me! O blessed thought, O words with heav’nly comfort fraught; Whate’er I do, where’er I be, Still ’tis Christ’s hand that leadeth me. Verse 2 Sometimes ’mid scenes of deepest gloom, Sometimes where Eden’s bowers bloom, By waters still, o’er troubled sea, Still ’tis His hand that leadeth me. Verse 3 Lord, I would clasp Thy hand in mine, Nor ever murmur or repine; Content, whatever lot I see, Since it is Thou that leadest me. Verse 4 And when my task on earth is done, When, by Thy grace, the vict’ry’s won, E’en death’s cold wave I will not flee, Since Thou in triumph leadest me. |
Chorus:
He leadeth me! He leadeth me! By His own hand He leadeth me; His faithful follower I would be, For by His hand He leadeth me. |
Today this hymn popped up in my head as I work through my office assignments, and I remember singing this hymn the first during my Form 5's School Leavers' Service. It was and still my favourite hymn to-date. I thought of the words in the lyrics as I sang it with my teachers and school mates and pondered how my life would look like as we prepares for our SPM and life beyond school days. I don't remember what was shared in the service by the invited speaker, but I believed most of us dreamed of achieving a good education and good job that pays well, and to some getting married and have a good family. For me, I was hoping for my life to have university graduation and good job, followed by faithfully serving in church. Marriage and romance thingy were not in my mind at all.
Life after PESS was "lonely" for me because I suddenly "lost all" my friends. We don't have Internet or mobile phone and the ease of connecting at the tip of our fingers. I don't have the phone at home and the only way to call friends was via public phone which we don't see it anymore nowadays. Over the years I made new friends from workplaces and social activities that I joined. Thanks to Internet and some PESS friends' initiatives, we are connected again "virtually". I went for a few gatherings and I can see the gaps between us when we chatted. Everyone is busy with their own careers, businesses and families. For some of them who stayed near each other, their friendships are stronger and they can literally dominate the gathering until myself felt alienated. Now I hardly join their gatherings as I felt out-of-place, like a square peg. I still keep in touch with them but our interactions are very minimal.
Looking back in the past years, I really thank God for His grace and mercy to me even though I myself went to the wrong ways and yet, He still gently lead me back to Him and His will for me even when I don't see it. Yes, I may have felt lonely after my PESS days but my God have never leave me alone. Yes, I may have felt left out in the gatherings but He is always with me. I may have felt I "lost" my friends but Father God gives me new friends, and the best part is He gives me godly friends who is now my dearest friends that I can grow spiritually, share my deepest fear, funny dreams and greatest hopes with. I thank You Father, for You have and will always hold my hand and lead me home to You no matter what I go through in my life.





