Tromp,
tromp, tromp marched an endless army of rain drops. Peeking through the
curtains, Charles Naylor saw only heavily burdened clouds filling the leaded
sky with cold rain. Depression flooded through the window washing away his
flickering hopes.
Hadn’t
God called him from the classroom and into the pulpit! The eager young enlistee
in God’s Army left his schoolroom behind and was following God’s call into
evangelism. Like a pebble tossed into placid waters, his call had taken him in
ever-widening circles around the nation. But now, stuck here with his injured
grandfather, no calls came.
Glancing
about the room, he felt the pleasure of helping in this family emergency, but
two months … without any calls … “how could God be pleased?” Grandfather’s
injury had been serious enough to require care, and Charles loved his
grandfather dearly. Yet, the pain of separation from his preaching ministry
flooded his mind with incriminating thoughts that threatened him with thoughts
of failed obedience.
As Charles
meditated on the pit-a-pats of rain stoically marching past his window, he
thought “Well; if I can do nothing, I am the Lord’s anyway.” The cloud of gloom
seemed to rise slightly and a warming ray of fresh gratitude peeked into his
mind. He took up his pencil and paper and the words of gratitude began pouring
forth to God for the comforting thought.
Troubled
emotions gave way to trustful security and before long Charles felt a deep inner
sense of God’s Fatherhood. Personal conviction gripped his innermost being as
he realized that Paul’s words in Romans 8:35-39 expressed his deep, personal
convictions. Guided by Paul’s words, Charles translated those inner convictions
into verses that expressed poetically the worshipful commitment he felt.
When a fellow minister set his verses to music, it resulted in a hymn that I have sung since childhood.” It is a hymn of faith that defines faith at work in troubled times
when overwhelming difficulties cause us to reevaluate our faith. Not only does
it remind me of who I am; it reaffirms me for Whose I am - “I Am the Lord’s:
Whether
I live or die,
Whether
I wake or sleep,
Whether
upon the land
Or
on the stormy deep;
When
‘tis serene and calm
Or
when the wild winds blow,
I shall
not be afraid--
I
am the Lord’s I know.
When
with abundant store
Or
in deep poverty,
And when
the world may smile
Or
it may frown on me;
When it
shall help me on
Or
shall obstruct my way,
Still
shall my heart rejoice--
I
am the Lord’s today.
During
the more than four decades that Charles occupied his own bed of affliction, scores
of people sent letters to Charles declaring how his affirmation of faith had blessed
them in their darkest and most difficult hours. Recalling the depression of
those dreary days he spent caring for his beloved grandfather, Charles no
longer doubted that faith conquers doubt.
Knowing
that his hymn shaped the contours of many people’s walk of faith, C. W. Naylor
concluded
There’s
no defeat in life
Save from within;
Unless
you’re beaten there
You’re
bound to win.2
_____
1 Worship
the Lord, Hymnal. (Anderson, IN: Warner Press, Inc. 1989) p. 639.
2 C. W.
Naylor, Secret of the Singing Heart. (Anderson, IN: Warner Press, 1974)
p. 11.
_____
From Warner's World, I am walkingwithwarner.blogspot.com
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