“Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass” Funeral for Karen Zimmer

14. November 2025
Funeral of Karen Zimmer
Psalm 37:5

“Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass” (Psalm 37:5 KJV).

In the holy Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Dear family and friends of Karen: On a day like this, the Word of God must do the heavy lifting. Your hearts carry sorrow, memories, gratitude, and perhaps even a measure of relief that her long journey is now complete and peaceful. But the Lord carries something greater—His promises. And today, we anchor those promises in the confirmation verse Karen confessed many decades ago: “Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will act.”

This little verse is deceptively simple, but it contains the whole Christian life: surrender, trust, and God’s faithfulness. In fact, Psalm 37 as a whole is David’s long meditation on this theme: that the righteous have nothing finally to fear because the LORD Himself acts on their behalf.

Psalm 37 calls the believer to “trust,” “delight,” “commit,” “be still,” and “wait patiently,” because the LORD is the one who works, who sustains, who vindicates, and who saves. And that promise shaped and sustained Karen’s life from her baptism onward.

To “commit your way to the LORD” is not a one-time decision; it is the Lord drawing His children to Himself day after day. The Hebrew word for “commit” literally means “to roll onto,” as if you roll your burdens, your path, your future onto God because He alone can bear them.

That is what the Lord first did for Karen when He placed His Name on her in Holy Baptism. Long before she ever rolled anything onto Him, He rolled His promises onto her. He claimed her, forgave her, and pledged to walk beside her all her days.

She lived her earthly life—her work at Musebeck Shoe, her quilting for missions, her friendships, her marriage to Ralph, her raising of sons and grandchildren—with that baptismal promise beneath it all. Through joys and sorrows, through decades of change, through the challenges of aging, the Lord remained steady.

Psalm 37 says, “The steps of a man are established by the LORD… though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the LORD upholds his hand.” That was Karen’s life. The Lord upheld her hand.

To “trust in Him” is not blind optimism; it is confidence rooted in God’s proven mercy. Psalm 37 repeatedly contrasts the fleeting nature of earthly things with the enduring promises of God: “The wicked… fade like grass” but “those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land.”

The point is not about wicked people versus good people. The point is about sand versus rock, shadows versus substance, passing things versus eternal things.  Karen lived long enough to see what fades: companies close, bodies weaken, families change, memories blur. But she also learned what endures: God’s mercy, His Word, His Church, His forgiveness, His promises.

Trust is not something we muster; it is something God gives. And He gave it to her. He fed her faith with the Gospel, with the body and blood of Jesus, with the steady promises that held her even when her own strength diminished.

Psalm 37 promises: “He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, and your justice like the noonday.” Not because we are righteous by ourselves, but because Christ is our righteousness.
And Karen trusted in that righteousness to the end.

“He will act” gives the whole comfort of the Gospel. This is the heart of the verse. This is why it was chosen for her confirmation. This is why it is appointed for today. “He will act.” That is the Gospel in five words. God is not passive. He is not distant. He is not waiting to see what we do. He acts.

He acted when He sent His Son into the world. He acted when Christ took Karen’s sins to the cross. He acted when Jesus rose from the dead. He acted through His Spirit to keep her in the faith. He acted with mercy and gentleness in her final days. And He has acted now by bringing her into His rest.

Death is still an enemy. Scripture never calls it normal. But Christ has transformed death for His people. In Him, death becomes sleep—a rest from labor, a Sabbath for the weary, a doorway into the presence of the Lord.

Karen now rests in that peace. Her soul is with Christ. Her body, buried in Christian hope, awaits the resurrection. “I Know That My Redeemer Lives,” one of her hymns today, puts this confession on your lips and hearts. Like Job, she could say: “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand upon the earth… and after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God.” That is “He will act” in its fullest expression.

Psalm 37 is not just Karen’s verse—it is meant for you now. You who grieve… You who miss her steady presence… You who carry both the sorrow of loss and the gratitude of many years… “Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will act.”

He will act to comfort your hearts. He will act to sustain your faith. He will act to carry you through your grief. He will act to reunite you with Karen in the resurrection. The same Lord who carried her will carry you.

Karen has finished her baptismal race. Her earthly way is now complete. But Christ’s promise remains, and it endures for all who believe: “I will raise him up on the last day.” That is the sure and certain hope we confess today. That is why we entrust her to Christ. That is why we keep singing, even through tears.

“Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass” (Psalm 37:5 KJV). He has acted for Karen. He acts for you this very moment. And He will act in glory for all the living and the dead on the Last Day.

In the holy Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Rev. Christopher R. Gillespie
St. John Ev. Lutheran Church & School - Sherman Center
Random Lake, Wisconsin