The apostle Paul wrote, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Col 3:16, [acp add author=”Thomas Nelson, Inc.” title=”NKJV” year=”1982″ id=”NKJV-1″] {title}[/acp]).
Songs are important. As important, the words of the songs that we sing are important for they reflect the heart and project its content out into the world.
A few days ago, while my heart was feeling somewhat burdened with care and concern over some decisions that have been made and I am in the process of carrying out, I typed out the first few words of the F. E. Beldon’s 1895 hymn, “Come Unto Me.” Those words, “O heart bowed down with sorrow!” were full of meaning for me at that moment.
I don’t think that my situation was necessarily what our Lord was speaking to in Matthew 11, but this song, taken from that passage, helped me to remember another: “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Pe 5:6–7).
Tonight, another verse from another song sounds within my head:
Nearer still nearer while life shall last
‘Til safe in glory my anchor is cast
Through endless ages ever to be
Nearer my Savior, still nearer to Thee
Nearer my Savior, still nearer to Thee
This is the goal of the Christian, for this is the call of the Lord: “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Re 2:10). Each day brings us nearer to the casting of the anchor of the soul. What we must examine, each one for ourselves, is where will we be when that anchor is cast for the final time?
