For I hold
you by your right hand—I, the Lord your God. And I say to you, “Don’t be
afraid. I am here to help you.” Isaiah 41:13 NLT
From death, a song came.
Few people noticed when Tom was born
in Villa Rica, Georgia, on July 1, 1899. He and his seven brothers and sisters were around the church most of his life. Thomas’ dad was a Baptist
preacher, and his mother played the organ. Quite naturally, Tom’s mother
started him on the piano at an early age.
As a teenager, however, Tom decided
to pursue a career as a blues musician and dubbed himself “Georgia Tom.” This
journey took him to Atlanta’s nightclubs and the jazz houses on the south side
of Chicago. But his spiritual heritage eventually drew him back to Christian
music.
When Tom reached twenty-one, he
joined the Pilgrim Baptist Church in Chicago. Here, he directed the choir and
wrote more than three hundred songs. But one song in particular made a mark on
Christian history.
Tom’s wife, Nettie, was about to bear
their first child when a church in St. Louis called Tom to sing in a revival.
Although hesitant, Tom’s wife urged him to go ahead. Tom got in his Model A and
drove to St. Louis. During the first night of the meeting, a boy brought a
telegram to Tom. The telegram said Tom’s wife had died while giving birth.
That same night, Gus Evans drove Tom
back to Chicago. When he arrived, the baby boy seemed to be fine, but later
that night, he, too, died. Tom buried his wife and his infant son in the same
casket.
A few days later, Tom visited his
good friend, Professor Frye. They walked around the campus of Annie Malone’s
Poro College before finally going into one of the music rooms. Tom sat at the
piano and began playing “Must Jesus Bear the Cross Alone?” As he did, he said,
“Blessed Lord, blessed Lord, blessed Lord.”
Professor Frye walked over and said,
“Why don’t you make that precious Lord?”
He did, and began to sing, “Precious
Lord, take my hand, lead me on, help me stand.”
On January 25, 1993, Thomas died, but
his tragedy and the resulting song have brought comfort to people across the
world, having been translated into more than thirty languages.
God promised to hold the hand of his
people, Israel, and Jesus promised his followers many years later that he would
never leave or forsake them. The same holds for present-day Christ followers.
Although each of our trials is
unique, we all face them. They are a part of life, allowed or sent by God to
strengthen our faith, increase our endurance, build our character, and prepare
us to help others facing similar experiences.
We may not understand why the trials
come, and trying to can lead us down a road to anger and bitterness. On the
other hand, accepting our circumstances and trusting God grows us spiritually
and makes us more aware that God is indeed holding our hand as we trudge
through the mire of what we would rather avoid.
God promises to work all things
together for our good and, more importantly, his glory. As we face our trials,
we can ask the Lord to hold our hand, as Dewey did, and when we cross to the
other side of our difficulties, we can look back and see that he did.
Don’t try to face life alone. Let God
hold your hand and lead you through.
Father, hold my hand as I
face the trials of life.
Tweetable: Do you trust God's unseen hand?
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