When the darkness appears
And the night draws near,
And the day is past and gone,
At the river I stand,
Guide my feet, hold my hand:
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 video below.
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Transcript may be found below, at the end of the blog.
We continue our journey through this great gospel song which voices our desire to have God take our hand. We all face depressing times in our lives, times when we need help to make it through, and our precious Lord offers that help. Let’s tune our hearts.
Lovely Sunsets
I love sunsets. Not only are they often breathtakingly beautiful reminders of our God’s infinite creativity, but they also signal the end of what has often been a long, busy day and that rest is coming. When you have finished your labor for the day, the break of night is a welcome friend. But there is something else.
They also signal the imminent approach of darkness. That can be scary if you are not prepared for it, right? Imagine yourself alone in a remote part the woods and the batteries in your flashlight are failing. Or you are in a strange part of an unfamiliar town and the roads seem abandoned and just a little spooky. You can create your own scenario, but you get the idea.
Death can be viewed in both respects as well.
If you have completed your labors and are at rest with the living you have done in the eyes of God, the promised rest you are about to enjoy can be welcomed with peace and gladness. It may hold some uncertainty for the newness of that part of your journey, but you receive it gladly because of all that God has told us is in store for all His saints.
If you have a sense some things are unfinished and are not at rest with God, the approach of death can be fearful. The uncertainty can be overwhelming when you are not confident you are prepared for it. But that can be easily settled, friend.
Simply give glory to God for the light of knowledge of Him revealed in the face of Jesus Christ. Turn your trust from your labors to His. Find rest in Him and His finished work. And let Him lead you through the darkness of death’s door into the light of eternity. What a beautiful picture!
When the darkness appears
And the night draws near,
Give glory to the Lord your God before he brings darkness, before your feet stumble on the twilight mountains, and while you look for light he turns it into gloom and makes it deep darkness. Jeremiah 13:16 ESV
RESONATE!
Whether you are facing some darkness right now or the final, great darkness at the end of life, God can lead you through it. Bring your fear and uncertainty to Him, and allow Him to gently take your hand and guide you through it. He is so kind in His leading that if you will simply surrender to Him, a peace will be yours not matter what darkness you are facing, and you can trust that even should you stumble, He will keep you safe. Take a few moments and ask the Father to give you His perspective on your present darkness as you place your hand in His again.
Final Stanzas
A common characteristic of many of the great hymns is a dealing with the reality of life beyond this temporal plane. Whether they speak of the transition or simply the hope that is ours in Christ for eternity, they often go there. This gospel song is no exception.
It gives us hope, as we live our final stanza, that the darkness we face is not the end of it all, simply the end of this part of our sojourn. What an incredible promise it reminds us of as it points us to all that our precious Lord has in store for us beyond this life. So incredible is it that our passing from this life to the next through death is actually precious in His sight.
And the day is past and gone,
Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. Psalm 116:15 ESV
Allow me to make this personal. My father died last March. I had often thought of this verse and shared it as I served families at funerals for their loved ones. It gives us the Lord’s perspective on the death of his saints, which is so important as we are grieving.
Precious was on my mind and in my heart, and flowed in and out of my soul as my feelings overwhelmed me at times in those days following his passing. Other words like painful, sad, and peaceful ebbed in and out as well as I processed this heart-wrenching loss, but I kept coming back to this word, precious.
You see, the “day” of my dad’s life was past and gone. Dealing with that for those of us who remain requires a grieving process, but for not for Him, and certainly not for our Lord. His passing was precious because God welcomed Him into His eternal dwelling. This is an incredible truth that effects the way we approach death ourselves and process it for and with others.
I am grateful to God for His promise and perspective, and the way it has helped me grieve my dad’s passing. I hope you can find some rest in that promise today for yourself and those in the Lord you may have already lost. Peace be yours today and whenever your final stanza is written.
RESONATE!
Are you approaching death with the confidence that yours will be precious in the Lord’s sight. Your final stanza has already been written, and it is precious to God. Ask Him for the perspective to see it as such and draw peace from it today for your journey and as you grieve the loss of your loved ones who have gone on to their eternal rest before you.
Jesus, thank You for eternal perspective. Help me to develop mine today, by giving me a bit of yours for my journey and the particularly the final stanza. I want to approach that with the peace only You provide. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
Peaceful Tuning!
Keep coming back, and we will work to help you remove the things that may hinder your longing for His return by cultivating an awareness of God’s presence. We will help you tune your heart to live out your worship by providing resources like this to help you acknowledge the greatness of God as you become more Resonant, 7 days a week.
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Video 20.3 Transcript
Welcome to Tuesday Tunings at Resonant 7, where we reflect on the reality of God and resolve to let it resound in our lives, repeatedly. Let’s tune our hearts.
When the darkness appears
And the night draws near,
And the day is past and gone,
At the river I stand,
Guide my feet, hold my hand:
Take my hand, precious Lord,
Lead me home.
Without question, we all face dark nights in our souls. The question is how will we choose to deal with them. What are you facing in this season that may be casting a shadow over your soul? If you know, ask God for help dealing with it. If you don’t know, ask Him to reveal it.
God, help me to deal with my darkness or reveal it.
Now we approach that moment when we close our eyes the last time and the end of life as we know it approaches. That day is coming for every one of us. If you have walked with Jesus, you will be able to trust Him to guide you. Are you ready for the end of your journey?
Jesus, help me prepare for the end of my journey.
The river here marks the passage from this life to the next. Whether we walk over on dry ground or on top of the water matters not, only Who holds our hand. Ask God to take your hand today, then rest in the fact He will never let go, come what may.
God, take my hand.
And here we are once more asking Him to take our hand. I think we keep asking because we know we are at times like the child who tries to shake loose from their parents in the parking lot. Ask the Spirit to help you surrender to God’s leading through all the dangers of life and all the way home.
Spirit, lead me home.
Take a few moments to talk to Jesus about what has surfaced in your heart, or just listen to what He is saying to you, then we will sing once more.
Sing
Take the awareness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes into the next ones and beyond. Until next time, Be Resonant.
The post Of Fair Sunsets and Final Stanzas appeared first on Resonant 7.
Image Attributions
When the Darkness Appears and the Night Draws Near – https://pixabay.com/photos/sunset-over-the-lake-sunset-lake-2157641/
And the Day is Past and Gone – https://pixabay.com/photos/night-sky-moon-stars-midnight-315204/
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