"Shadows around me, shadows above me never conceal my Savior and Guide."

Hymn: “Heavenly Sunlight” – H. J. Zelley (1859-1942)
Tune: SUNLIGHT

You may not be familiar with the Schubert song “The Erl King” based on a poem by Goethe. But for me, it’s an image that comes up when I read this hymnline. The basic story is of a father racing through the woods on horseback with his dying, hallucinating son; it’s more complicated than that, but you can Google it and get the details! It’s not a Christian story; rather it stems from German folklore.

Anyway, as the shadows and darkness surround him, the boy keeps crying out, “My father! My father!” The horse gallops, the darkness becomes greater, and still the child begs his father to help him out of the agony of his sickness.

There are times when we are surrounded by great cloud of witnesses, and we are rejuvenated and empowered to face whatever comes our way. At other times, we may find ourselves encompassed by nothing but shadows and darkness trying their best it seems to rob us of our joy, our calling, our mission… even our life. The horse gallops, the darkness becomes greater.

But THIS song (unlike the Schubert) reminds me that even the darkness cannot hide God from view. See Psalm 139:12. Today’s hymnline tells me this about my dark days: “Shadows around me, shadows above me never conceal my Savior and Guide (because) He is the light. In him is no darkness.” I love it when kernels of truth and beauty are hidden in the middle of these toe-tapping gospel songs that we sometimes set aside as “fluff.”

Having one of those shadows-all-around-me kind of days… or weeks? Don’t let the gloom obscure the face of your Savior who wants to carry you past the dark vale into the light of a new, more productive day.

Hear the Gaither Gang Sing This Great Gospel Song