She had figured out something by the time she was in her 20s, as the result of failure and guilt. Does that seem like an odd way to gather wisdom? Well, maybe not. But what if someone told you to go to a fast food restaurant (like the one the picture advertises) to find it? Or, go somewhere that will test your resolve and discipline and lead you to disappointment. Now, that’s probably not what Lynn DeShazo had expected when she stumbled upon this method one day after graduating from college, but it led her to compose “More Precious Than Silver”.
She was in a McDonalds at Auburn University in the late 1970s when it happened. Fasting and working at this common eatery one day was the crucible that spurred Lynn’s experience. If she really wanted to make her spiritual discipline of fasting that particular day successful, maybe she should have called in sick or found some other reason to avoid work that day, right? And, if she found the french fries she was supposed to be making too tempting, couldn’t she have asked her boss for different duties that day? But, she did none of those things, and soon after gulping down two fries and the accompanying guilt, she must have discovered something else that impacted her like it had never before. Despite having listened to her hunger pangs earlier, now she was listening to Him as he caused her to think of the food He provides. Maybe the taste of the fries lingered as she compared them to flavor of His word. If so, is that when great music can really happen? My physical hunger seeks out satisfaction in something deeper and more enduring that He provides. If I deny my corporeal hunger, will that impassion what I find in Him? That’s what Lynn sensed as she reflected on His message to her in her bible (Colossians 2:3 and Proverbs 8:11). It was a method that Jesus certainly endorsed one day in the wilderness (Matthew 4:4).
Did Lynn really stumble when she snagged some quick sustenance? She doesn’t relate whether her boss ever discovered what happened that day. It didn’t matter, since she knew. That’s integrity, when someone can guard themselves, even against something that might seem pretty minor. Would I be trustworthy with no one around to convict me? Would I turn myself in, if I give in to the lure of physicality? Lynn must have pondered the same issues that day in the McDonalds and afterwards. What she found is not exclusively hers. A quick bite is just that. Since it’s so little, that’s why the body needs many more, usually. And, food can spoil, too. But, He doesn’t spoil. He doesn’t break after too much use, unlike other things I purchase to satisfy my entertainment cravings. Dust doesn’t collect on Him. So, how much would you pay for Him? That’s what’s different about this purchase, too. He’s already made it for me! Make sure you collect that prize He’s got waiting for you.
The source for the song story is the book “Our God Reigns: The Stories behind Your Favorite Praise and Worship Songs”, by Phil Christensen and Shari MacDonald, Kregel Publications, 2000; and also “The Complete Book of Hymns – Inspiring Stories About 600 Hymns and Praise Songs”, by William J. and Ardythe Petersen, Tyndale House Publishers, 2006.
Here’s a link that takes you to more words to the song than are typically shown in a hymnal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HWf8YpH-3Q
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