There are many mornings right now where I have to find the energy to get moving and be productive. Many times, everything seems to be too much and I want it all just to stop. It’s February. Middle of winter. It is cold. There is a pandemic that has been going on for almost a full year. I feel tired. I feel weak. I feel worn.
Do you recognize those words from somewhere? They are from the hymn, “Precious Lord, Take My Hand.” While I have a lot of favorite hymns, this is one of them.
As I sat to write this article, I thought I would write about how that was Dr. Martin Luther King’s favorite hymn (at least that is what I was taught in college during a J-term class I took). But I didn’t want to say that without fact checking, so, google to the rescue. Fortunately for me, my memory was correct, or more to the point, my professor was correct. Multiple sites affirm that “Precious Lord, Take My Hand” was Dr. King’s favorite and he requested it be played quite frequently, including the night before he was shot and killed. But during my searching, I learned the story of behind the hymn. It was written by a Gospel choir director and blues musician Thomas Dorsey in 1933. I could try and sum it up here, but I wouldn’t do Mr. Dorsey’s story the justice it deserves or communicate the meaning it had to Dr. King. Therefore, I ask you to take 5 minutes and click the link and read about it here.
Whatever you might be feeling, you are not the first to feel that way and you won’t be the last. Know that you are loved by the creator of the universe and who will be with you through the storms and through the night, who will to take your hand, through the night, to lead you home.
Here is a beautiful version for you to listen to.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Tim