Archie R. Green
One of God’s greatest gifts to mankind was His blessing of the sung word. From the Song of Moses to the echoes of David stating that Israel should, “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.” Psalm 100 And all throughout the New Testament humanity has been ordained to offer up to God the “fruit of our lips” which is our proper definition of praise to glorify the Father. Hebrews 13:15 A great song leader will sometimes stop to emphasize the words that may connote the passion and reverence that the artist has exuded as they penned a particular hymn, song or spiritual song. I for one am thankful that God has designed for us to all sing as one. Ephesians 5:19, Colossians 3:16 To be encouraged in singing one to another and having the insight to meaningful words of a song when sung in unity is truly amazing. One of those boundless hymns that will remind me of this principle is “Be With Me Lord” by T. O. Chisholm. The song fetches countless images of desire, strength and humility to the Christian that has fought through this frail life on their way to glory. I would like to revisit just a few of those points here if you don’t mind. The first verse states:
“Be with me, Lord, I cannot live without Thee. I dare not try to take one step alone. I cannot bear the loads of life unaided; I need Thy strength to lean myself upon.”
Our Father in Heaven IS the Great Provider. He alone has the saving power and grace for our very existence. “ For in him we live, and move, and have our being;” Acts 17:28a Anyone who has decided for themselves that they can live separate and apart from the Almighty will only find despair. David states it simply in Psalms 36:9, “For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.” God literally sustains a man in areas. Some of which we cannot see or often value and appreciation. He is our Rock and Steadfast Master…He is truly THE ONE that will never leave nor forsake us. Hebrews 13:5 Verse two goes like this:
“Be with me, Lord, And then if dangers threaten, If storms of trial burst above my head, If lashing seas leap everywhere about me, They cannot harm, or make my heart afraid.”
The Psalmist David wrote, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4 If he could live in such confidence knowing that God is our DELIVERER; then we all can know as well! Jesus calmed the physical storms while here on earth and our Father in Heaven can calm the spiritual storms of our lives that will and often come our way. Isaiah 41:10 Trusting in Him and in Him alone is what makes us sure. Proverbs 3:3-5 We also notice in verse three:
“Be with me, Lord, No other gift or blessing. Thou could'st bestow could with this one compare. A constant sense of Thy abiding presence, Where'er I am, to feel that Thou art near.”
That Jesus spoke of an eternal residence provided by His father in heaven for all those that obey Him. Luke 6:23 Can our hearts even fathom the eternal bliss to come? Colossians 1:5, 1 John 2:24-25 Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9 The grandeur of the entire manner is that He now walks with us and the journey is never alone. 1 John 1:7 And finally in verse four, we might find the most paramount theme of the entire song:
“Be with me, Lord, When loneliness o'ertakes me; When I must weep amid the fires of pain; And, when shall come the hour of my departure For worlds unknown, Oh, Lord be with me then.”
The Bible guarantees that all of mankind has a common destiny. Hebrews 9:27 Only one thing will make that ending worthwhile…and that is to go home with God. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 The peace that we find in God comes now sometimes in the form of our earthly brethren and the relationships that we form between us. 1 Corinthians 12:25-26 And whenever we have the opportunity to assemble AS the Lord’s Body, it should be considered a blessing! And it ought to create in us a longing and a sense of comfort when songs like this are lead. I pray that we all sing with the understanding and heart that pleases our Father in Heaven. 1 Corinthians 14:15 So that when it is our time to leave this world, we can all leave in peace. God Bless.
