HE DOES KEEP ME SINGING

 

 

 

 

 

HE DOES KEEP ME SINGING!

What a wonderful Lord we serve!  In spite of trials and turmoil around us, He is faithful.  And He always gives a song in the midst of the darkest night, as I have shared before.  But sometimes in the midst of a busy day, all of a sudden He will drop the following song in my heart to remind me “fear not I am with thee, peace, be still.”  And He has done that in various places and times of my life, and it is usually this song that I am going to share it with you.  It is an old song.  I remember it from my childhood.  In those days, we always had Sunday Night services and usually they were evangelistic and joyful.  And this was one of those songs I remember from those days.

But first let me tell you a story of a precious lady I encountered in the nursing home several years back, as I was making my rounds.  I was working with the hospital as a volunteer chaplain, and the nursing home was part of that work at that time.  Now my work there as chaplain is through the ministry of our local church.

I walked into a room, and there sat a lady with snow white hair, beautiful blue eyes.  And I noticed on her nameplate that she was “Irene.”  I walked over to her and began to introduce myself and my work, and she looked up at me and smiled, and in a thick German accent she began to sing to me:

“There’s within my heart a melody, Jesus whispers sweet and low, fear not I am with thee, peace, be still, in all of life’s ebb and flow.”

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, sweetest name I know, fills my ev’ry longing, keeps me singing as I go.

I hadn’t even given any details of my visit to her or my name.  Her heart was so full of joy, and seeing the joy of the Lord in my heart, she began to sing to me.  That is what we would call a “Divine Moment.”  So I began to sing along with her the verses we both could remember:

“Feasting on the riches of His grace, resting ‘neath His sheltering wing, always looking on His smiling face, that is why I shout and sing.

Tho’ sometimes He leads thro’ waters deep, trials fall across the way, tho’ sometimes the path seems rough and steep, see His footprints all the way.

Soon He’s coming back to welcome me far beyond the starry sky; I shall wing my flight to worlds unknown, I shall reign with Him on high” (He Keeps Me Singing, Luther B. Bridgers)

How could we as believers, walking with our Lord, resting  beneath the shadow of His wings (Psalm 91:1, 4, looking upon His face, keeping our eyes on Him, how could we not just want to shout and sing?

The man who wrote this song in the last century was a Pastor/Evangelist, Luther B. Bridgers,  out preaching the Word, when he learned his wife and children had all died in a tragic fire.  In the midst of his grief, he realized the only thing he could still hold on to was “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, and the song emerged.  What a testimony!

And as Pastor Bridgers realized sometimes the Lord does lead through waters deep, and many trials come out way, and sometimes we don’t understand “why?”  As I was pondering the thought of the way being rough and steep, and I thought that in the midst of our trials sometimes we cannot see Him through the fog of our tears, or through the storm raging around us, I was reminded that if I look ahead, it might be foggy, but there in the fog, on that pathway are His footprints, assuring us that He is still there leading us on.  We may feel like we are alone, but His footprints are there, those nail scarred feet, walking and leading us on.  Oh, Praise the Lord!

And then someday soon, He is coming back to welcome all of us home.  And Pastor Bridgers had that hope, that someday he would wing His flight home and be reunited with His Lord and his family again.  Oh, friends, keep that thought in your heart this evening no matter what you may be walking through right now.  I know of many with cancer, some terminal, and Oh, the song that the Lord gives.  The Psalmist must have felt this way as he walked through a trial:

“Deep call to deep at the noise of Your waterfalls; all Your waves and billows have gone over me.  The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night His song shall be with me-a prayer to the God of my life” Psalm 42:7-8.

He must have felt like we do at times, waves and billows are going over us, waves of pain and sorrow and deep trials.  But all day long He shows us His Wonderful love and on into the night He gives us a song, and that song will become a prayer to the Wonderful God of my life and your life. Oh, Praise His Holy Name Forever!

In the Wonderful Name of Jesus,

Pastor Sharon