When my way grows drear,
Precious Lord, linger near,
When my life is almost gone,
Hear my cry, hear my call,
Hold my hand lest I fall:
Take my hand, precious Lord,
Lead me home.
Precious Lord, Take My Hand (1932)
By: Thomas A. Dorsey (1899 – 1993)
Listen to this version featuring Mahalia Jackson as you prepare to ponder this hymn. Please make certain to enjoy the podcast below.
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Everyone enjoy this podcast and transcript below! It features meditative music and moments to contemplate the Scriptures and reflections shared.
Transcript may be found below, at the end of the blog.
We begin our journey through this great gospel song which voices our desire to have God take our hand. More often than not, we need some help to make it through. God is always there waiting to give that help if we will only ask. Let’s think about this.
Help
“Daddy, help”. The call of many small children when faced with a problem that seems a bit more than they can handle on their own. Something has brought them to the realization that they may need some assistance. Who better to ask than big, strong Dad.
“Lord, help”. The cry of too few of God’s children when faced with a problem that seems a bit more than they can handle on their own. Something has brought them to the realization that they may need some assistance. But many fail to ask for a hand from Father God.
Has that ever been you? Have you found yourself at the end of yourself and were reluctant to cry out to God? Do you know why? Sometimes it is pride. Sometimes the fear of disappointment, or of being confronted with the reality of having created your difficult circumstance through your own choices. No matter the reason, we should never hesitate to call on God for the help He longs to give.
Hear my cry, hear my call,
Hold my hand lest I fall:
“Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry; hold not your peace at my tears! For I am a sojourner with you, a guest, like all my fathers. Psalm 39:12 ESV
We are all on a journey, like all those who have gone before us. The sooner we humble ourselves at the reality that we need help, the better off we will be. He wants to usher His peace into even the most trying of circumstances, if we would but ask.
RESONATE!
So what is stopping you? Maybe there is some trouble you are facing right now which could benefit from God’s care. Maybe there is something coming tomorrow. Rest in the fact that if you call on Him, He will answer. Ask the Spirit to help you call on God today, so you are ready to cry out to Him when you next need Him.
Home
Next week we are going to look more deeply into God taking us all the way to our eternal abode, heaven. For our purposes this week, we are going to think of home as the place where you can find rest. You can be at peace. You are comfortable.
Take my hand, precious Lord,
Lead me home.
“I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; Isaiah 42:6a ESV
He is the Lord. Present tense.
He has called you in righteousness. Past tense.
He will take you by the hand and keep you. Future tense.
You can find abiding rest in the fact that our God has authority over past, present, and future. When you cry out to Him, you are invoking the God of all ages to take your hand and keep you. And He does. No matter what comes.
That keeping is represented to us in the physical by spaces where we can commune with God. Maybe that is home for you, or maybe you have carved out some other private-ish area where you can meet with God and He can keep your soul at rest.
It is important to develop such a place. Maybe the most important aspect of it is the timeframe, not even the space. Whatever form it takes, you can not only cry out to God, but trust Him to lead you to that place.
What an incredible promise! Out of who He is flows this wonderful truth. We are called in righteousness. He will take us by the hand and keep us through everything that comes our way, even beyond this life. Ask Him to take your hand today and rest in His keeping power.
When we do cry out and call on Him, He will take our hand and keep us from falling, or help us up. But He does not stop there. He wants us to stay attuned to His leading so that He can lead us through those dangers and ultimately all the way home.
God, take my hand and lead me home.
RESONATE!
Are you going through something right now that has you thinking, “I just want to go home?” If not, you have, and eventually we all will experience that again. So prepare to go through it with the confidence that God will keep you, leading you to a place of rest. Ask Him again today to take your hand so you can become even more familiar with His leading than even the temporary destination we call home.
Jesus, thank You for taking my hand and leading me every time I call. Help me to cry out faster and with greater fervency. Activate my faith today with Your touch. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Restful Thinking!
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Podcast 20.2 Transcript
Welcome to Thursday Thoughts at Resonant 7, where we reflect on the reality of God and resolve to let it resound in our lives, repeatedly. Let’s think about this.
When my way grows drear,
Precious Lord, linger near,
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 ESV
It can be a hard perspective to maintain, but when we are confident that even the dull and dreary days are working together for our good, it makes them a lot easier to endure. Thank God for His presence in even the most boring circumstances.
When my life is almost gone,
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:26 ESV
Our strength will fail us, and there will come a day when all we will have left is our standing in God. On that day we will be very needful of God’s care to face the end of life as we know it. Ask the Holy Spirit to find rest in the fact that He will never fail us, even when our heart and flesh do.
Hear my cry, hear my call,
Hold my hand lest I fall:
“Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry; hold not your peace at my tears! For I am a sojourner with you, a guest, like all my fathers. Psalm 39:12 ESV
We cry out to Him on our journey through this life and find comfort in the fact that He has shown Himself faithful to all those who have gone before us. As we prepare to face the end of this life, give Him praise for hearing you every time you cry and call to Him, especially then.
Take my hand, precious Lord,
Lead me home.
“I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; Isaiah 42:6a ESV
What an incredible promise! Out of who He is flows this wonderful truth. We are called in righteousness. He will take us by the hand and keep us through everything that comes our way, even beyond this life. Ask Him to take your hand today and rest in His keeping power.
Take a few moments to talk to Jesus about what has come to your mind, or listen to what He is saying to you, then I will read our text once more, with the refrain.
When my way grows drear,
Precious Lord, linger near,
When my life is almost gone,
Hear my cry, hear my call,
Hold my hand lest I fall:
Take my hand, precious Lord,
Lead me home.
Take the mindfulness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes into the next ones and beyond. Until next time, Be Resonant.
The post How About Some Help Heading Home? appeared first on Resonant 7.
Image Attributions
Hear my Cry, Hear My Call – https://pixabay.com/photos/prayer-hands-church-light-2544994/
Take My Hand, Precious Lord – https://pixabay.com/photos/hands-hand-together-prayer-5216585/
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