His Symphony Divine

His Symphony Divine

 

Thank you for your gift of music

Planted in me long ago

Though I Unwilling received it

It slowly chose to grow

 

Father showed me keys and rests

Set the meters and the notes

When my little mind was wishing

For catching frogs and my toy boat

 

His lessons seemed unending

When my lip was split and hurt

From that blessed clarinet’s reed

Daily practice was just work!

christmas-04-096

But by grace notes and by quarters

And good old three-four time

Somehow began within me

A song that seemed to rhyme

 

And His melody stayed with me

Though sometimes I couldn’t hear

Over my life’s strong crescendos

And some sonatas filled with tears

 

But now I am just grateful

As my voice begins to wane

That His notes can go on singing

Through both sunshine and through rain

 

And I see my Father’s presence

In the notes between the lines

And I thank Him for His precious gift

With His symphony divine

Sunday Hymn – My Jesus I Love Thee

This hymn’s lyrics were originally written as a poem by a teenager named William Featherstone. His short life reminds me a bit of the apostle John, whom scholars believe to have been about 14 when he began to follow Jesus. Featherstone seems to have been quite shy but these lyrics so moved him that he sent them off to his aunt who (lucky for us) had them published. After Featherstone’s death the poem came to the attention of Adoniram Judson Gordon who set the words to the music we sing today in 1876. What a testimony Featherstone has left for us. We know little of his life but much of his heart. What will others remember of our lives after we have stepped into eternity?