On Bended Knee -- Robert Gay and Jimmy Orr

‘It was a humiliating experience’, someone says. Another says ‘I was humbled…’. Is there a difference between feeling humiliated versus humbled? If my Webster’s Dictionary is accurate, the answer I would infer from its multiple definitions would be a ‘yes’. While being humble is a position or attitude I can adopt for myself, being humiliated is most often something that is imposed upon someone, either due to a situation or by other people. How do people who’ve curtseyed in the presence of earthly royalty feel? (See one example in the picture here, in which Queen Elizabeth II receives flowers from a young girl in 1954.) Which one was Robert Gay proposing when he wrote “On Bended Knee” in 1988, or how about Jimmy Orr when he added a second verse four years later? And, if I don’t willingly accede to a prostrate position, could something else that will utterly disgrace me transpire? Perhaps admitting one’s own warts are there is what Robert and Jimmy were thinking, but not necessarily just to avoid a harsher treatment. They both thought there was an outcome rather pleasing and beneficial flowing from humility. Yeh, let’s ask them someday.

Neither the originator, Robert, nor his friend Jimmy who added some more thoughts, have evidently shared what inspired their respective verses for “On Bended Knee”. Their circumstances are unknown, but they both thought about what it was like to be needy before the Holy God, and what it would be like to find rejuvenation in the wake of humility. Who Robert Gay was in 1988, even something as basic as his age, is a mystery. And, if Jimmy Orr is the British-born citizen from Northern Ireland who died in 1987 in North Carolina, how was it he crafted a verse attributed to him in 1992? Perhaps he’d written it just before his departure from life. Nonetheless, their respective verses tell something revealing about them both. Gay’s and Orr’s messages begin from a position neither was too proud to occupy. Getting on one’s knees must have been familiar, but not disagreeable. Love and respect flow effortlessly hand-in-hand with the humility with which they present themselves. You can imagine this was something they’d done many times, knowing they could count on rekindling an intimacy with God that begins with submissiveness in His presence. Admit I don’t measure up – He knows it anyway. He wants to bless those who seek Him out in truth. And, the most basic truth is this – He’s holy, I’m not. Robert and Jimmy help the Christian own up to that, and thus draw strength from Him in that reality. It’s only through Him that I can elevate my life. But it has to begin from a low position. I need not know what other pieces of Robert’s and Jimmy’s lives spurred “On Bended Knee”. They were lowly mortals, just like me.    

The pathway starts from down below, but with God I don’t stay there. He could fold His arms and scowl that I’m a mess that pollutes His presence. But, seeing Him in scripture informs me that He doesn’t feel that way. Oh, He’s disappointed when I fail, but He thinks I can choose not to stop there. Why did He choose to look directly at Peter when he denied Him (Luke 22:61)? Was it to humiliate Peter interminably, the way Judas evidently felt? Perhaps Jesus was just letting his friend know He’d seen his human, mortal side yet again. And, Peter’s response showed he realized where he stood, in comparison to his Lord, and especially to the truth. Only with this downfall did he stand up again. Are you Peter today? Don’t deny it. Admit it. You’ll feel better, once you purge yourself of that pride.        

See this site for information that potentially refers to one of the composers of the song: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Edwin_Orr

Lord, Take Control – Anonymous

If just a few words were feasible in the language banks of a God-believer, which ones would be the most important to include there? Maybe that’s not too remote a question to imagine the writer of the song words for “Lord, Take Control” asking, since the text of this pithy tune sounds like the response someone might utter after listening to Moses’ instruction between three and four millennia ago after his encounter with the Holy One at Mount Horeb (see him holding the Ten Commandments here). You and I were not there, but the instruction is no less crucial for those of us in the 21^st Century A.D. The Messiah underscored their importance some 1,500 years after the great lawgiver first spoke them. The author of the words is not really anonymous – after all, Moses was only passing on what his Lord told him to say.

The Jews call them part of the Shema. So, was the one who composed “Lord, Take Control” of Jewish derivation, or just an admirer of its implications? Asking the Lord to take control, by means of commanding my heart, mind, body, and soul, is nearly a word-for-word recitation of what Moses said all Israel was to do (Deuteronomy 6:5) in order to obey God’s law. (I’m seeing the word ‘body’ as a close parallel to ‘strength’, the actual word used in that ancient prayer.) It’s also what Jesus reiterated for those standing nearby to listen as He carried out his mission (Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:30); and it’s what He agreed was paramount, when someone He quizzed responded with these words (Luke 10:27). Aren’t we glad that Moses and Jesus summed up the law with a one-sentence command? Because Jesus agreed this Jewish affair was in fact what He too was emphasizing, you and I can employ His words to follow God, without regard to the excruciating details of other Hebrew laws. We can imagine the modern-day composer of this musical Shema making note of Moses’ and Jesus’ words, and adding his or her own summation of what obedience to these words imply – give God control. Another fellow – Paul – would sum up his version of what it meant to obey completely the Shema; for him, it was to make oneself a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1). To Moses, Jesus, and Paul, loving the Lord with all one’s heart, mind, strength/body, and soul = living sacrifice = the Lord’s in control.              

Could it be that a nameless composer determined “Lord, Take Control” was the most effective way to transmit a message he or she was trying to get into the heads of listeners, via a musical vehicle? It’s an inner quest, when someone seeks to follow Him completely. But, like a healthy, well-balanced, but light meal, one need not consume much to draw energy from sustenance. This compact, yet meaty musical feast has all the necessary ingredients. A desire for true devotion – like what one says in the Shema -- is perhaps best accented with music. God used this method with David, after all. Why would He stop using it? Can you hear Him in our music today?

Only bible references and this blogger’s own opinion are used to present the story of the above song.

Tarry With Me -- Caroline Louisa Sprague Smith

How does a 25-year old woman come to write a song in the first-person, imagining what an elderly person might be experiencing? That’s the curiosity of what Caroline Smith wrote in 1852, probably as she sat one day in her Andover, Massachusetts home, and said musically “Tarry with Me”.  Some of the credit for what Caroline penned may be attributed to a minister she’d heard speak about that time, too. Apparently, she wanted to provide words for senior citizens, perhaps even some she knew, that would resonate with how they felt when approaching the end of life. Undoubtedly, it’s a consequence of advancing age, when those people lose with increasing frequency members of their own generation. Oh, there are still others around who they may know, but what’s it feel like to see life’s light growing dimmer?

Loneliness. That’s the overriding sense of what Caroline Louisa Sprague Smith gathered from a sermon she’d heard. Not difficult to imagine, since most people have probably been there at least once. But, few people besides the elderly live with this creeping phenomenon in quite the way they do. So, the words of a sermon that Caroline heard in Boston, not far from her Andover home, must have had some special quality to motivate this young woman’s poetry. 'The Adaptedness of Religion to the Wants of the Aged' was how a minister named Dexter entitled his thoughts that consequently inspired Caroline. She made two attempts to urge her poem’s publication: once, soon after the sermon she’d heard, in 1852-53; then, over 30 years later, when she was about 57 years old, and just two years shy of her own mortality’s conclusion. Was she suffering in 1884 with the loneliness of which she’d written as a 25-year old? She subtitled her poem with the words ‘An Old Man’s Prayer’, so we can assume it was a man to whom she intended to give voice with her words, though we know not his identity; perhaps it was a male relative or acquaintance. Asking God to keep one company as life fades is analogous to watching a day’s light vanish bit by bit in Caroline’s thoughts. ‘Darkness’, ‘shadows’, and the ‘evening’ are linked with the ‘grave’ in “Tarry with Me”, but Caroline doesn’t wallow hopelessly or become maudlin with this thought. ‘Rest’, ‘sleep’, and even ‘cheer’ are present when the Lord tarries. I can endure this, if He is here.

Caroline Smith had a message, not just with the words she composed, but the position from which she wrote them. If I’m young, I can act like life is carefree, or I can empathize with those who are emotionally slogging through something. Whatever they’re feeling just might afflict me someday. That’s Caroline reaching out with her heart in 1852. And then, just as she suspected, the words she’d written connected with reality for herself three decades later. She must have remembered, too, how the ‘Old Man’s Prayer’ found solace. The Divine One’s the tonic, my companion-remedy, for this malady called the blues.  

See these two sites for accounts of the song story used as basis for this blog post:

https://hymnary.org/person/Smith_CL

http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/t/a/r/tarrywme.htm

Thank You, Lord -- Dennis Jernigan

What else could he really say? It was 1990, and Dennis Jernigan was a 31-year old Oklahoman (see his home state’s seal here) who evidently was still basking in the glow of his redeemed life; it was in this spirit that he said “Thank You, Lord”. Would he have been capable of detailing more of why he felt so appreciative? Certainly, because there were plenty of reasons, perhaps more than most people might have had, for the gratitude Dennis felt. The depression’s depth that he’d lived was perhaps matched in its extremity only by the opposite height that he’d reached. And, maybe since so many people had heard about his 180-degree turnaround, Dennis didn’t feel any other words were necessary. That didn’t stop him from saying the words over and over, however. He’s probably still saying them, because the blessings of his turnaround are indeed living before his eyes.

Dennis Jernigan’s story has so many ‘thank-you’ points to it, it’s not a wonder that he wrote a song to repeatedly vocalize those words. In 1990 he was just a year or two on the other side of totally admitting to others what kind of life he’d been living 10-15 years earlier. Take a look at what he’s written in his testimony on his official website, and you’ll read an amazing, unique story. As you read, you might start counting and find that Dennis, though he struggled with what he considered a dark secret – homosexuality – for over a decade, had many thankful moments amid that time too. He had almost as many thank-you moments then, as he did in the post-1981 period, according to the story he’s written there. (I counted some 20 specific things that Dennis indicates were parts of his life for which he’s been thankful.) It’s because he now realizes God was working then, from his times of learning piano at his grandmother’s home to understanding his father’s distance from him was actually not so distant after all. He also had lots of extended family background and a close friend in a faith community that ministered to him – his grandparents, a church that utilized his musical skills in his pre-teen years, and a friend who stood by him at the end of his college experience. Dennis also describes two supernatural episodes that he’s convinced were God communicating with him to manage his life -- a life-changing concert, and a cloud-filled sky that helped him face his life. Dennis has such a vivid memory of his life, probably another of God’s gifts that allows him to see events now with a new clarity, and with an effervescent gratitude. That’s probably what compelled him to share openly with his church family, first in 1988 and multiple times since then, what he went through and how’s he come onto the other side of it all. It’s still going strong.  

After changing his life, Dennis and his wife Melinda have had a blessed union that has yielded tangible results not only for themselves, but for those who have heard his story. The Jernigans have nine children, and one might say their family in the spirit is immeasurably larger. The churches where he’s shared have hosted people who’re touched by Dennis’ story, so that they share their own hurts and begin to heal. His music, over 2,000 songs, allow his story of God’s work in his life to hit many different chords, and reach an audience that he could never have addressed without the unique blend he brings. No one is quite like him. But, Dennis wouldn’t want you and me to think that, and so limit His power. He’d say that I can admit my hurts, get healed, and live like never before, because of the truly unique One.    

See the following site for the composer’s biographic information: https://www.dennisjernigan.com/aboutdj

See this site also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Jernigan

I Love You Lord -- Laurie Klein

This 24-year old mother needed an emotional lift one morning in 1974. And so, Laurie Klein asked her God to provide the words for “I Love You Lord”, and perhaps He could fill the gaping void she felt was overwhelming her. Stuck in central Oregon – that’s how she felt. Fortunately, Laurie was a blank slate (kinda like the map picture of central Oregon here, without much detail, other than some color), allowing her to be a vessel that He could fill. It was the last part of the song she sang that lonely morning that has been most significant for her, the words that she wants to remember as her life theme. Although she felt empty, she wasn’t unaware of what ancient character she thought she was mimicking, at least in part. She’d not been completely like that person from centuries earlier, yet she saw enough resemblance to believe He could bring her up from the pit where she’d fallen. Is that the key to accessing Him – see yourself in stark relief compared to Him?

Laurie Klein had many factors working against her spirit that morning in the autumn of 1974, yet only one thing really mattered that day, as it turned out. Money – she and her husband Bill had little of this to live on, since she was a full-time mother to a one-year old and he was a full-time college student. Home – a mobile trailer, which you’d know is cramped, if you’ve ever been in one. No friends. No driver’s license. No church home. So nearly everything she had (except for Bill), was apparently cooped up with her in that small trailer. In that emotional and physical wasteland, Laurie says she remembered that God had pledged to redeem his people, like the ancient prophet Hosea’s stray wife, Gomer, by first taking them into the desert (Hosea 2:14). So, perhaps God was the only presence that really mattered that day, especially when she asked Him for a song, and did He ever answer! It came effortlessly in moments, with just her voice and His ear contributing to its development. When she related all of this to Bill later, the words imprinted on him so readily, that he suggested she sing it for others. The rest, as they say, is history. The second part of what she’d sing, the ‘sweet, sweet sound’ she so wanted to soothe her spirit, is what Laurie thinks of most when she ponders being His servant. It’s a lot more than the musical notes making a beautiful melody that, translated through someone’s voicebox, finds God’s approval. For Laurie, it’s everything else she does and says that makes a full-life, comprehensive declaration to the Giver of “I Love You Lord”.   

Find a desert. Although Laurie Klein may not have many pleasant memories of central Oregon and 1974, what washed over this forlorn young woman should make any serious believer and music-lover wonder if he shouldn’t be hunting the desert more intentionally. What was it God said about ‘poor in spirit’ (Matthew 5:3), or about the desert (again, see Hosea 2:14). People see him there (Exodus 16:10), it’s where David sought Him (Psalm 63:1), it’s where he can transform the barren into the fertile (Isaiah 51:3), where He will make the desolate and sad joyful again (Jeremiah 33:9-11). From Moses (Ex. 7:30) to Jesus (Matthew 4), the barren place is an awaiting encounter with Him and a place where He can be present to chase away evil, despite what the surroundings look like. Spend some time in a desert, at least once.      

See more information on the song story in these sources: The Complete Book of Hymns – Inspiring Stories About 600 Hymns and Praise Songs by William J. Petersen and Ardythe Petersen, Tyndale House Publishers, 2006; and Our God Reigns: The Stories behind Your Favorite Praise and Worship Songs, by Phil Christensen and Shari MacDonald, Kregel Publications, 2000.