|
The hour
Off the
Wall
Mar. 11,
2009
The other day while doing some church work, I happened to be
listening to a compact disc containing church hymns. I am very
up front in stating singing along with the "oldies"
is one of my favorite past time fun things to do. So as I sat
at the kitchen table, trying to figure out how to arrange an
insert for a newsletter, one of the top ten's most sung compositions
bounced off the four walls of that room. It didn't take long
for this old man to start bellowing out the words, not in the
greatest harmony or proper key, but nevertheless, some form of
accompaniment. I kind of felt I was letting the spirits that
may have hung around from ages past know that I do know some
of the lyrics at best.
In my unique fashion of vocalization, I not only let the airflow
through my pipes, but also used my pencil to direct the orchestration.
Imagination took me to lands of fantasy.
But as the music continued, I didn't. There was a group of words
that threw me into deep thought. And need I tell you what happens
when I get into one of those spells
It was the last sentence to the second stanza - "How precious
did that grace appear the hour I first believed" - that
caught my attention the most.
The initial question that went through my mind was "Why
did it take a whole hour for the person to believe (in God)?"
Was that a short or lengthy amount of time? I've heard tell sometimes
persons labor on issues for weeks on end and others never come
to a decision concerning such topics of trust, credibility or
loyalty. So, here I have to present the question once again -
why an hour?
But then it occurred to me, maybe erroneously, could it be that
the writer really didn't take the whole 60 minutes to draw the
conclusion, but anytime within that time frame? It could have
been five, 25 or 55 minutes. There is really no way of telling,
is there?
We do know the lyricist is talking about God. There really is
no doubt of that. After all, the first stanza starts out, "Amazing
grace! How sweet the song That saved a wretch like me. I once
was lost, but now I'm found, Was blind, but now I see."
Grace is unmerited favor, freely given by God.
But, I want to go back to the last stanza of the second verse
to which I made reference before - "How precious did that
grace appear the hour I first believed." I want to let those
last five words fully embrace you as they did me, and write them
down on a piece of paper the emotions that you may be feeling.
Now consider this. Before the person first believed, a lot possibly
was going through his mind. Maybe there were so many thoughts,
he was confused. But that was all "pre-belief." One
still could be there a non-believer.
Let's flip the coin, and think back when you realized that having
God in your life was more than a figment of your imagination,
someone you could trust, relate to and go to for answers. How
amazing was it to appreciate that the very person who made the
world, you also could hold in your hand? In addition, everything
that you are seeing in your midst, He created. That in itself
has to blow you away. What was that moment like the hour
you first believed?
I can truthfully say, the hour I first believed was when I was
seven. By experiencing my life's journey with Him I have gotten
to know His true character as a good friend, a counselor and
a healer. There were times I walked away from Him. He let me
know He never left me. The best move I made in life was the
hour I first believed. Undoubtedly, it will go down in my books
as the best decision I ever made. And knowing He is definitely
part of my future is comforting at best!
Paul J. Volkmann
Written November 27, 2009
|