Rick Founds was sick and burdened with lots of noise from various directions. And so, he needed something, or someone as it turned out, to allow him to overcome that feeling of desolation, and to rest in reassurance. Rick was in his office (?probably in Fallbrook, southern California; see the seal of San Diego County here, where Fallbrook is located), where he eventually uttered a prayer “Jesus, Draw Me Close”. Rick must have also noticed that plenty of his ancestors, as he read ancient texts, had also previously shared his mood at that moment, perhaps due to all kinds of circumstances, but with one common solution. What better way is there to rise above the fallen earth and its incidents that dog the human spirit, and in Rick’s case some physical maladies, than to look to the Creator?
Colossians 1:15-16 tells us that Jesus was an integral part of the creation, and in fact He holds all things together. So, why shouldn’t Rick Founds have consulted Him in his moment of trial in 1990? Though that bit of truth from Paul is one of the bible’s most profound revelations, Rick actually drew upon other writers as he sat in an old chair and tried to forget his physical, mental, and emotional discomforts. He’d had more than enough of an influenza attack, car trouble, and overwork at his job – all of which sapped his energy and drew down his spirit. So, Rick collapsed into two things that gave him comfort at that moment – an old chair and his dependable God in scripture. Was the old chair, which seemed to match his body and mind’s attitude at the moment, the bigger part of the recipe for cure that Rick employed that day? No, it was what he read that was the real tonic, particularly what David said in Psalm 42 about needing God so desperately, like a deer thirsty for water. Rick also read what his ancient songwriting and prophetic brethren had composed elsewhere – Psalm 145:18, Psalm 73:28, and Isaiah 55:6 – to gird his spirit with reminders of what it was like for them to draw near to the Creator and Sustainer. Reinvigorated with these thoughts, Rick spontaneously strummed out the melody and the few lyrics of ‘Jesus, Draw Me Close’, an epiphany that seemed to connect him with God and with those whose words he’d just read. Rick rediscovered just how simple it is to find Him when we seek Him, when we need Him. Rick said that whatever the situation – from the really difficult year when a friend or relative dies to the pretty trivial episode like misplacing one’s car keys – a person’s reaction is always misery and a feeling of loss. But, He is always near, if I seek Him.
Rick’s lyrics did not need to cover more territory in order to be effective. He says that a group he met with that same evening heard his simple prayer-song and quickly adopted it, an apparent testimony to its therapeutic value and a reaffirmation of the old adage ‘less is more’. One simple melody and a few words to express his desire to move toward Jesus and away from the world – those were all that Rick Founds employed at that moment. He didn’t detail his car’s issues, the flu and how it made his body ache, nor the work that was piling up on his plate of things to do. He implicitly knew that his Maker understood all of that, so complicated words were unnecessary. Just voice a simple prayer, and then do it again. That is the obedience from deep inside one’s heart that Rick had allowed himself to adopt for his own intimate moment with God that day in 1990. Do yourself a favor, and try out the method that Rick Founds experienced himself in 1990.
See the composer-author sing the song here, and see comment about song’s origin: Rick Founds - Jesus Draw Me Close, or read the extended version here: Draw Me Close song story (found at the songwriter’s official website -- rickfounds.com/storiessuch.html)
Read about the songwriter here: Rick Founds - Wikipedia
See here for date (1990) on the song’s publication:Jesus, Draw Me Close | Hymnary.org
See here for information on the San Diego County seal: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Seal_of_San_Diego_County,_California.png, This work was created by a government unit (including state, county, city, and municipal government agencies) that derives its powers from the laws of the State of California and is subject to disclosure under the California Public Records Act (Government Code § 6250 et seq.). It is a public record that was not created by an agency which state law has allowed to claim copyright, and is therefore in the public domain in the United States. This work is in the public domain because it was published in the United States between 1930 and 1963, and although there may or may not have been a copyright notice, the copyright was not renewed. For further explanation, see Commons:Hirtle chart and the copyright renewal logs.
No comments:
Post a Comment