Archives for July 27, 2013

Devotion

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? Refrain

This hymn is one of my favorites. It comes to life for me when I think of a young person whose life exemplifies it. His name is Ben Larson.

I had the privilege of meeting Ben only a few times. He was the kind of person, however, that you can never forget because he made you feel loved by God in ways that words could not sufficiently describe. Furthermore, his singing voice had the power to make the heart melt. God's Spirit infused his singing voice with heavenly melodies of joy and peace. His faith and trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior were evident in his music and commitment to serve those who needed it most.

Ben was a seminary student. He spent his last day on earth helping people in need in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. When the earthquake hit on January 12, 2010, he was one of hundreds of thousands killed on that tragic day.

His wife later reported that in the last moments of his life on earth, when she found him trapped in the rubbles, Ben was singing. He spent his last breath singing. The last words he was able to utter were: "God's peace to us we pray."

When trials overwhelm us, singing our prayers can give us a sense of peace when everything else around us is falling apart.