Part of him may feel like he’s in a protected space, but another part must feel that what he wants more than anything is to reveal the most crucial part of himself to others who would listen. Those two polar perspectives both seem to characterize Keith Lancaster’s musical personality when he says “Hide Me Away, O Lord”. It’s a song that Keith wrote in the mid-1990s, probably at least in part when he was at home in Cullman, Alabama (see map-picture), a place from where he launches multiple efforts to spread the musical message of God. So, just how hidden does Lancaster really want to be? He founded something called Acappella Ministries that has spawned the various facets of Keith’s vision as a ‘musicianary’, so he’s far from an obscure figure. And yet, the words he wrote and the ways in which he carries out the life’s calling in which he finds himself suggest that Keith has focused himself into a specific space that he feels his Creator has carved out for him.
And so, Keith Lancaster has been part of a mission for Godly music since his mid-20s and the year 1982, when Acappella Ministries was launched. Someone might say that Keith has sought his Creator’s protection – a hidden space – from that point forward. Can you hear Keith responding that he has been more blessed there as compared to any other place he could have been? One can imagine that Keith must have taken to heart ancient songwriting about finding safety ‘in the shadow of your wings’ (v.1), a key theme in ‘Hide Me Away…’. Was he, in fact, reading several Psalms at the moment he penned those song-title and verse one words (like Psalm 17:8; 36:7; 57:1; and 63:7)? If Keith took note of that songwriter’s feelings, he would have noted that David experienced a special place in God’s eyesight, and found His love and ‘refuge’ there. Did Keith find a special kinship with his songwriting ancestor as he echoed David’s exultation that he could ‘…sing in the shadow of your wings’ (Ps. 63:7)? Keith’s poetry indicates he also asked for his Lord’s peace (v.2) in his endeavors, certain that there would probably be ‘the day of trouble’ on occasion (v.2). There’s no hint of anxiety in Keith Lancaster by verse three of his ode, in which he declares he’s ‘safe in your (the Lord’s) dwelling place’. It’s almost as if Keith is saying something about the shelter he’s found for himself in the verses he wrote; and yet, by writing the words for others to sing, he’s inviting countless others to join him in that place. ‘Many mansions’ (John 14:2) may be what Keith and the rest of us believers wait for with such great expectation, right? It’s great to find security in His home, but the sense of gratitude is magnified when multitudes can come along.
From what you can see on one of Acappella’s sites, Keith’s family is likewise deeply involved in the musical place where he has been active for the last several decades. At least one daughter and one son are involved in worship ministry alongside their dad. His wife, Sharon, is also part of the venture – something that makes this couple refer to both of themselves as musicianaries, particularly when they’ve traveled to conduct workshops or other singing ventures for Praise and Harmony, one of the offshoots of the Acappella Ministries. Keith’s family is a living example of those who’ve been ‘hidden away’ – they’re ‘beneath His wings’, but not because of faint-heartedness. It’s just a place where they’ve found a certain strength that cannot be found elsewhere. Have you found a better hiding place today?
See this site for information on the author: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Lancaster
See some information on the author’s musical ventures here: https://acappella.org/worship-leader-institute/
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