Hymn: “Close to Thee” – Fanny Crosby (1820-1915)
Tune: CLOSE TO THEE
When my grandfather Smelcer decided to stop farming his
acreage in Pigeon Forge, he apportioned it out equally among his children,
keeping only the large corner lot on which the homeplace stood. My mother
received her portion and lived on that plot of land the rest of her life. This
kind of event helps me understand some hymn texts – and in turn, the hymn texts
improve my limited understanding of who God is and how he works among his people.
In the Old Testament, God does a lot of apportionment of his
land… and of his Spirit. We also read about his distribution of himself:
“God is the
strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
(Psalm 73:26)"The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." (Lamentations 3:24)
In the New Testament, we are referred to as “partakers” or
those who share in the inheritance:
“You will
joyfully give thanks to the Father who has made you able to have a share in all that he has prepared for his
people in the kingdom of light.” (Colossians 1:12)
Even after my grandfather divvied up his farmland, it was
still the Smelcer Farm… but now it belonged to his children. The acreage in
east Tennessee was my mother’s inheritance… which eventually became my
inheritance… which is now just a block off the road into Dollywood and has been
re-zoned as commercial property and sold to provide for us in our retirement!
But in the case of God, he has subdivided this inheritance
among all his believing, accepting children. It is mine for all time… I have an
eternal share of stock. He IS my
everlasting portion - more than friend or life to me. I am delighted to
have been allotted a piece of the Kingdom.
We live in a subdivision here in Waxahachie, Texas. When I
lived here 35 years ago, this was the Cook Farm; it has since been
re-apportioned into lots for home-building. The plot on which our house is
built, however, was not given to us: we bought it. In the case of our share in
Christ, it was bought for us and given to us freely… as was my mother’s slice
of the farm.
Seems like I took way too much verbiage to say that singing
this opening line of a Fanny Crosby hymn text makes more sense to me when I break
it down into a situation I can get my mind around. Sometimes, that’s the only
way I can get at the truth: talk it out until it makes sense!
Now, go and enjoy your allotment… your everlasting portion
of God!
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