My life flows on in endless song; above earth’s lamentation,
I catch the sweet, though far-off hymn that hails a new creation.
Refrain:
No storm can shake my inmost calm while to that Rock I’m clinging.
Since Christ is Lord of heaven and earth, how can I keep from singing?
Through all the tumult and the strife, I hear that music ringing.
It finds an echo in my soul. How can I keep from singing? (Refrain)
What though my joys and comforts die? The Lord my Savior liveth.
What though the darkness gather round? Songs in the night he giveth. (Refrain)
The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart, a fountain ever springing!
All things are mine since I am his! How can I keep from singing?
This beautiful hymn, by Robert Lowry, has been one of my favorites for as long as I can remember. As a musician, former children’s choir director, and one who loves to sing herself, I’m naturally drawn to the image of my life flowing on in endless song. This sounds like heavenly bliss to me!
But the line I’m most drawn to is this one: “What though the darkness gather round? Songs in the night he giveth.”
Yesterday we heard the story of Joseph whose life, despite being blessed by God, was filled with challenges, disappointments, and heartache. Despised by his 10 older brothers, Joseph was thrown into a pit, sold into slavery, falsely accused of sexual assault, and imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit. Does this sound like being blessed?! Which begs the question: What does it mean to have the Lord’s blessing?
In the 23 verses that make up the 39th chapter of Genesis, we read “…the Lord was with Joseph” four times. The text also explicitly says, “…the Lord showed him steadfast love.” Even in the darkest times of Joseph’s life, God never abandoned him. And God promises the same to you and me. Even when the darkness gathers around us, God’s very presence also gathers around us, and we are held in God’s loving embrace. This indeed is God’s blessing. How can we possibly keep from singing?