We’d listen to two programs that an Atlanta station sent our
way.
The first show was the Gospel
Singing Caravan, which featured the LeFevre family. Boomershine Pontiac in
Atlanta sponsored it. The second program was the Gospel Singing Jubilee, hosted by the Florida Boys.
Both programs featured other popular Southern Gospel groups
of the time.
Fast forward half a century (which is pretty much what I’ve
done). These days, as my Good Wife and I are getting ready to go to church on
Sunday mornings, we listen to the Southern Gospel station on Pandora. It
doesn’t play the quartets my parents and I listened to in my growing-up years.
Instead, it mainly plays country artists singing gospel songs.
On a recent Sunday, we heard two classic songs by two classic
artists back-to-back.
The first was Peace in
the Valley by George Jones. As you may know, Jones is the greatest country
singer of all time. He sings with a tear in his voice. He could sing Pop Goes the Weasel and break your
heart.
So as George sings the opening words of Peace in the Valley–“Oh well, I'm tired and so weary, but I must go
alone, 'til the Lord comes and calls, calls me away”–you can hear him
suffering. But you can hear the hope in the chorus:
There will be peace in
the valley for me, some day.
There will be peace in
the valley for me, oh Lord I pray.
There'll be no sadness,
no sorrow, no troubles I see.
There will be peace,
peace in the valley for me some day.
The second song was Merle Haggard’s version of Just a
Closer Walk with Thee. Merle had a reputation as a tough guy, but he sounds
vulnerable as he pleads,
I am weak but Thou art
strong.
Jesus keep me from all
wrong.
I'll be satisfied as
long
as I walk, let me walk
close to Thee.
Just a closer walk
with Thee.
Grant it Jesus is my
plea.
Daily walking close to
Thee;
let it be, dear Lord,
let it be.
Hearing those two great hymns back-to-back set me to
thinking about the fact that until we reach the peaceful valley, we must live
in this less-than-peaceful world. Until we reach the state in which we’ll know “no
sadness, no sorrow, no troubles,” we deal with sadness, sorrow, and troubles.
While we’re here, we Christians want to walk closer and
closer with Jesus. We have committed our lives to following him, and we know
that he will lead us in the ways we should go.
On one hand, walking with Jesus can give us greater personal
peace. It can give us the greatest peace we can have before we get to heaven.
On the other hand, walking with Jesus leads us to confront
the world’s lack of peace. As a Christian, I cannot be satisfied with having
ever-greater peace for myself. I cannot be at peace while so many people know
no peace. I cannot be content not to suffer or to have help in my struggles. I
want as many people as possible to be lifted out of their suffering or to have
support in their struggles.
A half century of walking with Jesus, and hopefully of
steadily drawing closer and closer to him as we walk, has taught me that being
his follower means caring more about others than I do myself, of putting other
people’s needs ahead of mine, of standing with those who are struggling with
the hard realities of life, and of embracing those whom society tries to push
out to the margins.
I’m grateful to George and Merle for helping me think about
the important truths that their songs announce, and for giving me the
opportunity to push on toward truths that lie behind the songs.
Until we reach peace in the valley, our walk with Jesus
should lead us beyond satisfaction with personal peace and on to a quest to
bring greater peace to as many people as possible.
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