struck

I've been singing in church since I was about eight and sometimes I think I've read, heard, and have sung each and every song in the church hymnal. I have all my old favorites from over the years... those that inspire me, those that convict me, that motivate me, and encourage me. And there are those, too, that I'd rather not sing - that are too high, too low, too slow, too old.

Our congregation recently made the move to projecting our songs onto a great big screen at the front of the sanctuary. The hymnals are still available for those who prefer them ... which I do. Somehow, I feel more connected to the music - to the words that were written, to the melodies and the harmonies, to the old authors of faith - if I'm holding the book in my hand. I love the feel of the pages as I turn them, the weightiness of the hymnal, and the familiarity I feel as I pass by one great song in search of another.

This morning we sang a song that, if I've heard it before, it must have been a long time ago. It was familiar and yet it struck me in a way that was so sweet and new that I simply sat and only listened to the third verse.

No doubt, in this forum, the lyrics will likely fail at conveying the intensity they evoked in me. And yet, here they are anyway. If you have a chance to hear, or sing it, I wonder if it will affect you the same way. The chorus, which I've included last, is replaying through my mind still.

"There is a place of quiet rest
Near to the heart of God
A place where sin cannot molest
Near to the heart of God

There is a place of comfort sweet
Near to the heart of God
A place where we our Savior meet
Near to the heart of God

There is a place of full release
Near to the heart of God
A place where all is joy and peace
Near to the heart of God

(and my favorite part, the chorus)

Oh Jesus, blest Redeemer
Sent from the heart of God
Hold us who wait before Thee
Near to the heart of God..."