It was a
time when she felt like giving away some advice, as she lay sick in bed in the
New York City area. (Check out the picture here of NYC that the composer may
have seen in the mid-1800s on one of her better days.) That might be the best
way to describe in one sentence what motivated 61-year old Lydia Baxter to
recommend a course of action to those she knew. “Take the Name of Jesus with
You”, she said in 1870, just a few years before she went to be with Him. That
adds some poignancy to what she wrote, knowing that she may have been sensing
the mortality she clung to was near its conclusion. How might she have felt,
given that her life had been a long struggle? Was this a gasp of pain that she
uttered, a fight that drew others to her side to commiserate with her? Or, was
it wisdom from a deep well that few others could access themselves, drawing
their curiosity?
From all
accounts, it appears that Lydia Baxter had grown accustomed to her physical
shortcomings by the time she’d lived three-score years in the New York area. She
was used to being flat on her back, a sickly body confining her to a life largely
prostrate. But her attitude about this state of affairs was not typical, and
perhaps that was what most attracted others to her. Cheerfulness was Lydia’s
calling card, or perhaps more accurately what others who called upon her could
depend on discovering when they greeted her. Had she discovered some sort of
happiness potion? If she was ever so asked directly, she might have answered ‘yes,
the potion’s name is Jesus’. Baxter was well-known as a seeker of names,
especially Biblical ones that bore some special meaning in the message to God’s
people. You think maybe she might have researched her namesake’s impact on
others, and responded as that 1st Century Philippian woman did when
met by Paul (Acts 16:13-15) – with generosity and thankfulness? The 19th Century Lydia certainly
knew many other names and their significance, but one moniker outranked all the
others in her mind. That she wrote four verses about this name to capture what
was deep inside her tells us she had not just thrown down gaily what she felt,
however. No, it’s said that Lydia often told others that His name was what kept
her spirits up when her condition would have otherwise made her dejected. The
four verses she composed tell us she had used His name in various ways to gird
her spirit. He’s much more than a one-trick God, she implies. This God is worth
my endurance, worth my tolerance of bedsores, worth it for me to tediously stare
at the same scenery from my bed for many days, over a stretch of 60 years. From
Lydia’s vantage point, you think she was casually throwing around Jesus’ name?
No, just
read her words, and one can see Lydia used his name for many powerful reasons. Like
anyone whose own body has become the enemy, Lydia used His name when she needed
sympathy (v.1) to soothe her misery. But, she got so much more, as well. She warded
off wrongdoing (v.2), experienced enthusiasm (v.3), and worshipped in
expectation of the next life (v.4). This multifaceted God was more than a
hand-holder for Lydia when she felt pathetic. He imputed to her energy, and it
showed to the many who visited her. They got something from her when they sat
next to her bed. It—or rather, He--was just something she was letting flow through
herself to anyone else who bothered to take notice. Have you taken notice of
Him, lately?
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; Amazing
Grace: 366 Inspiring Hymn Stories for Daily Devotions by Kenneth W. Osbeck,
Kregel Publications, 1990; and 101 More Hymn Stories, by Kenneth W.
Osbeck, Kregel Publications, 1985.
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