Safely Abide Forever

When he was told the news, he was in a state of shock.

For a while, he couldn’t quite grasp what he had heard. It was one thing his father dying when he did. This, however, came as a surprise. There was nothing to prepare for this.

Still reeling, his brother reminded him of a hymn that his parents liked to sing back at the home.

Under his wings, I am safely abiding,

Though the night deepens and tempests are wild,

Still I can trust Him; I know He will keep me.

He has redeemed me, and I am His child

He read those lyrics and thought about the faith of his parents. They were not sophisticated intellectuals able to recite great accomplishments in the arts or sciences. They were steady, reliable, honest and real people who placed their trust in God and saw Him come through for them. They exhibited what it was to be His children. He read the next verse,

Under His wings, what a refuge in sorrow!

How the heart yearningly turns to His rest!

Often when earth has no balm for my healing,

There I find comfort, and there I am blest

As he read those words, the tears flowed from him all the more. He thought back to those times when his parents were under tremendous pressure. He saw how they both dealt with it by honestly opening their hearts to God in prayer. He remembered seeing how they did not falter from their faith, but seemed to rely on it all the more. He saw how they could behave with such peace and equanimity when others would have reacted in negative ways. He looked to experience that peace that they had at this time when he needed healing from the hurt and the loss.

Through the tears, he went onto the final verse,

Under His wings, oh what precious enjoyment!

There will I hide till life’s trials are a’er;

Sheltered, protected, no evil can harm me.

Resting in Jesus, I’m safe evermore.

His mind drifted back to the last conversation he had with his mother. She had sounded like she was holding on in the circumstances and yet in there was a resilience. A resilience borne out of her trust that she could rest in her Saviour. And there was something about the last word in the song that brought him back to the refrain of the hymn.

Under His wings, under His wings,

Who from His love can sever?

Under His wings, my soul shall abide,

Safely abide forever.

He could hear his parents telling him again of the need to put his trust in Jesus. He could hear them pointing him to the episode where Jesus rose Lazarus from the dead. He could hear them showing him how Jesus revealed Himself to be the Resurrection and the Life and anyone who put faith in Him would experience that same Resurrection and Life for themselves. He could hear them relate again how faith in Jesus meant that even as He overcame death, so this passing away was not the end of the story. They were asleep, awaiting the trumpet sound.

He felt a little bit more consoled to get a better idea of what it meant for them to abide with the Lord, forever. He went through this as he quietly sung the whole hymn to himself. As he repeated the refrain, he felt a consolation far deeper than he had experienced before. He felt a peace that he could not comprehend. He could not comprehend it, but he certainly embraced it. Held onto it, for all he could as he uttered that last word of the song,

Forever

(Thanks to William Cushing for writing the hymn as referred to on Hymnary.org)

(Photo by Taylor Wright on Unsplash)

For His Name’s Sake

Shalom

C. L. J. Dryden