Like so many of you I love the music of Bill and Gloria Gaither. Gloria wrote one song in particular in the 1960s when she was expecting her first child. At that time she and Bill were suffering through some terrible problems. Bill had been seriously ill and their music was being criticized for not being “spiritual” enough.
On New Year’s Eve, Gloria writes:
I sat alone in the darkness thinking about this rebellious world and all of our problems–and about our baby yet unborn. Who in their right mind would bring a child into a world like this?
But then something happened I can’t quite explain. Suddenly I felt released from it all–an unavoidable peace. The panic that had begun to build inside was gently dispelled by a reassuring presence and a soft voice that kept saying, “Don’t forget the empty tomb…Don’t forget the empty tomb. Then I knew I could have that baby and face the future with optimism and trust, for I had been reminded it was all worth it BECAUSE HE LIVES!”
Out of that experience Gloria penned the words that have lifted the chin and strengthened so many suffering and discouraged saints:
Because he lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because he lives, all fear is gone,
Because I know he holds the future,
And Life is worth the living, just because he lives.
On this 4th of July weekend I scan the headlines in today’s newspaper:
POLICE DETAIN 13 IN CONNECTION WITH AIRPORT ATTACK
BREXIT QUAKE REACHES U.S.
WALL STREET ANXIETY REMAINS POST-BREXIT
AIRPORT SECURITY IN SPOTLIGHT
TRUMP OR HILLARY?
Are we going to make it? Is the world coming to an end? What will life be like if Hillary is elected? What will life be like if Trump is elected? What if the stock market collapses? Will we ever get out from under the burden of our national debt? Is global warming going have the devastating effect on our lives that many scientists are predicting? Is North Korea going to start WWIII? Will radical Islam continue to grow and gain new converts? Will the EU survive?
As I sip my coffee and type these words, I keep hearing a sweet voice say, “Don’t forget the empty tomb…Don’t forget the empty tomb.” I think it’s time, dear ones, time to refocus and remind ourselves that “God’s got this!” He has begun a good work, CREATION, and he will finish his good work, RE-CREATION. We just need to hold on and enjoy the ride as much as we can. It’s going to be bumpy. Jesus told us it would. But, praise God, when we arrive we’ll laugh at what we thought would be “the end.”
Happy 4th Of July! Eat well, enjoy your family and friends, and don’t you ever forget the empty tomb.
Richard Hipps
We all have our problems\crosses to bear as we face our daily chores. We were never promised a smooth pathway as we continue our life’s journey. One line of the Gaithers song “Because he lives I can face tomorrow” serves as a mantra as I make my way through the good times and the bad.
This song is very special to the Boswells—it saw us through some very difficult times.
This is such a timely post! I, too, love ‘Because He Lives,’ and it has meant so much in my personal life. Thanks for reminding us that we are in God’s hands and that when our world seems to be coming apart at the seams, it is, in reality, falling into God’s plan. Happy 4th to you, too!