This afternoon, I had a few minutes to myself and I picked up an old hymn book I have from my church in Indiana that I have out on the side table...most people have magazines, I have hymnals. (I think the old ones are pretty cool -the feel of the pages, the smell...antiques for sure one day). I was thumbing through it and humming along as I read the words on the pages until the title of a song I didn't know caught my eye. The song is called "Come Ye Apart" and no matter whether I ever hear it sung, the song will always be a special one to me from here on out. God used an old hymn to speak to His child's heart in a unique way and I am so glad He did. Before you judge a song by it's genre, make sure to read it first...it may just hold a message for your heart.
"Come ye apart!" it is the Lord who calls us,
and oh, what tenderness is in His tone!
He bids us leave the busy world behind us
and draw apart awhile with Him alone.
Mid restless crowds with all their noise and tumult,
No rest, no leisure, find our spirits there;
Our vision fails, our sense of life's proportion,
Unless we seek the quiet place of prayer.
Full well He knows, for He Himself hath made us;
Yea, He Himself was human as are we;
How much we need the calm of sweet communion,
New strength to gain for battles yet to be.
He knoweth how for us to have compassion,
Whose feet have journeyed many a weary mile;
Shall we not go in answer to His bidding:
"Come ye yourselves apart and rest awhile?"
And so He calls us into desert places
Where human voices may not drown His own,
There to receive the fuller revelation
He makes known to those who wait with Him alone.
"Come Ye Apart" ~Thomas O. Chisolm
The days of hymns are swiftly departing...sometimes the stories they tell take you on such a journey that if someone disregards them as old fashioned there is a chance one might just miss a God moment waiting to happen. It's not the time to argue the point of hymns versus praise...I love both...it all depends on the place and purpose of those gathered to sing.
The days following Wow! Alaska '08 were difficult...finding myself back in the "real world" after an awe inspiring time with God and feeling so alive and free in Him again was discouraging at times. The fact that God still wanted to use me was a humbling and encouraging experience all rolled into one wild adventure. All it took was God calling me to step away from the "norm" and for me to go and be with Him alone. It worked...so much so I was able to return to Alaska and see again how God moves in mighty ways when we are able to hear and see more clearly. These days haven't been easy either, but I'm holding on. Those moments in life where God comes and meets you right where you are...they are unforgettable and life-changing. The problem with that is often you are alone in these moments and the people around you haven't a clue how God's moving right before their eyes in your life.
It can be a lonely place, but a necessary one...
"Come ye apart!" it is the Lord who calls us,
and oh, what tenderness is in His tone!
He bids us leave the busy world behind us
and draw apart awhile with Him alone.
Mid restless crowds with all their noise and tumult,
No rest, no leisure, find our spirits there;
Our vision fails, our sense of life's proportion,
Unless we seek the quiet place of prayer.
Full well He knows, for He Himself hath made us;
Yea, He Himself was human as are we;
How much we need the calm of sweet communion,
New strength to gain for battles yet to be.
He knoweth how for us to have compassion,
Whose feet have journeyed many a weary mile;
Shall we not go in answer to His bidding:
"Come ye yourselves apart and rest awhile?"
And so He calls us into desert places
Where human voices may not drown His own,
There to receive the fuller revelation
He makes known to those who wait with Him alone.
"Come Ye Apart" ~Thomas O. Chisolm
The days of hymns are swiftly departing...sometimes the stories they tell take you on such a journey that if someone disregards them as old fashioned there is a chance one might just miss a God moment waiting to happen. It's not the time to argue the point of hymns versus praise...I love both...it all depends on the place and purpose of those gathered to sing.
The days following Wow! Alaska '08 were difficult...finding myself back in the "real world" after an awe inspiring time with God and feeling so alive and free in Him again was discouraging at times. The fact that God still wanted to use me was a humbling and encouraging experience all rolled into one wild adventure. All it took was God calling me to step away from the "norm" and for me to go and be with Him alone. It worked...so much so I was able to return to Alaska and see again how God moves in mighty ways when we are able to hear and see more clearly. These days haven't been easy either, but I'm holding on. Those moments in life where God comes and meets you right where you are...they are unforgettable and life-changing. The problem with that is often you are alone in these moments and the people around you haven't a clue how God's moving right before their eyes in your life.
It can be a lonely place, but a necessary one...
Song was sung last week at church community of christ herald house may have. It on cd
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