Tune: BLESSED QUIETNESS
Irish-born Manie Payne Ferguson worked most of her life in missions up and down the California coast, ministering to the down and out. Though she wrote several books and song-texts, this is one which still appears occasionally in print.
I have used the refrain as the hymnline – mostly because it’s the part of the hymn I remember from my growing-up years. I came to love this hymn after it appeared in a Centurymen recording as arranged by the late Burl Red.
Most of us yearn for things to quieten down around us. We seek out times of solace away from the maddening crowd. Even Christ himself set us that example, separating himself from those who would take all his attention and time… realizing that in his humanity, he needed to be alone now and then to recharge mentally, spiritually, physically.
Most of us have blessed LITTLE quietness, but when we DO, we consider it holy. In those hallowed times, I am reminded of the blessed assurance that Jesus is mine, enjoying the foretaste of glory divine.
Our greatest need for this alone time with God seems to come when we are in the midst of stormy, rocky days – those unsettled, unsettling stretches. We often find that just a little talk with Jesus one-on-one makes things right… and the insurmountable seems achievable.
We can rarely deal with important decision-making in the midst of all the noise… the rush of everyday schedules. Strangely, sometimes we have to pull away from the busy-ness of our church-life to find our more important Christ-life.
From THE MESSAGE, hear these words from Jesus: “Here's what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.” (Matthew 6:6)
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