Disappointment. One might even say it was bitter
disappointment. But, ‘out of the ashes’…as one has said before. Nancy Gordon
and Jamie Harvill might even say upon reflection that Alexander Graham Bell,
the inventor of the telephone (see an early advertisement here for one), played
a remote role in “Firm Foundation” that the two of them first spoke to each
other over a telephone line in 1994. Was this the first time a song was conceived
over the phone? Perhaps not, but what they had expected to happen a few days
earlier could not have been more different than what actually transpired, so
having an unforeseen method for this song’s development was actually in tune
with events. Do you and I know how our Creator is always working, and am I
ready to be His tool? What do you think Nancy and Jamie might say after you hear
their story?
Where were Nancy Gordon and Jamie Harvill exactly on that
day in 1994 when they commiserated with each other on the telephone? Perhaps each
had returned home (in Alabama for Nancy, and California for Jamie), to figuratively
lick their wounds. It’s a bit of conjecture, but since they chose to talk on
the phone, we can imagine that they weren’t in close geographic proximity.
Nancy relates that they had been saddened to learn that a song they’d written
together (‘Belle of the Ball’) would not be part of an album. They’d thought, because
of the reaction of the recording artist when she heard the song for the first
time, that their collaborative effort was about to bear fruit. This was their
profession, and the song was their initial expedition on this musical partnership,
after all, so dejection was not unreasonable, from a human standpoint. But Nancy
relates that she’d been buoyed during her reading that morning of a bible verse
about ‘living hope’, and then the mutual affirmation about their long-term prospects
took off, as they deflected the gloom that had been present. Words like ‘I have
a future’ were soon consoling them as they talked, and they both confessed that
they had placed too much confidence in a song, rather than in God. What Nancy says indicates she’d been reading what
one or two apostles had written (1 Peter 1:3, and 2 Timothy 2:19). From what
the two of them say, they were soon sharing bible verses back and forth, and
the song was nearly completed during that phoneline discussion, a time that was
like ‘a volleyball game of encouragement’. A couple of other moments later on helped
put a wrapper on this song, but the phone conversation is what stands out to
Nancy and Jamie. As is so often true of something really special, a unique coalescence
of events, as well as the inspiration of a couple of apostles (Peter and Paul),
must be credited with creating ‘Firm Foundation’. Who makes events happen this
way?
How’s He work? If you ask Nancy and Jamie, they might say
the first song they wrote really was meant to be a failure and a launching pad
for something better. He can make a washout into a success, and even more. He’s
got a handle on things, and perhaps He is most providential when he takes me by
surprise. That’s worth a bible study isn’t it? See how often he does what people
think makes no earthly sense. As someone has said, ’faith is believing in
advance what will only make sense in reverse’ (Philip Yancey, in The
Question That Never Goes Away, p. 48). And, He doesn’t sit back and ask us
to do/believe without going there Himself. He went somewhere and did something
that confused everyone at the time… Tap into His ‘failure’, and see if
it stays that way for you.
Song story source is at this link: http://newhopemusic.com/FCSongwriters/FCSJamieHarvillFF.htm
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