Their lives mingled with His, probably including in their moments of distress when a ray of hope shown through the darkness. Somewhere in slavery’s dominion, in pre-Civil War North America, a group of African-American slaves sang that “Every Time I Feel the Spirit”, they could sense Him being there to reassure them. They called out to one another some reminders of His working, perhaps as one of them thumbed through a tattered bible, maybe one of the few possessions a group of slaves might have had, even if it had to be kept in secret. Many of these 19th Century enslaved believers, in fact, might have been illiterate. But they were able to hear the Spirit, and to coax faith among each other. This must have been the message a group of them wanted to convey to a president who came to meet them, in the wake of their gaining freedom, and even as the national conflict still raged on. (See the picture here of perhaps Freedman’s Village, in Arlington, Virginia, where a group of former slaves sang about this Spirit’s working to President and Mrs. Lincoln.)
Exactly which slave community was the source of “Every Time I Feel the Spirit” is not really known, though we might infer one possibility from the story of the song’s use in a performance for Abraham and Mary Lincoln. An escaped slave from Maryland, known as Aunt Mary Dines, reportedly was at this event and even witnessed the President’s emotional reaction to the singing. So, had the song emanated from Maryland, and perhaps was further spread in this camp outside of Washington? Whatever the case, Lincoln’s purported reaction suggests he could identify with their distress, something that various authors have indicated Lincoln felt acutely at times in the White House. Lincoln’s many speeches, particularly during the war’s latter stages, contained his own thoughts about God’s purposes and even punishments for the nation, indicating he sought out God’s Spirit for his inner struggle. How did these people respond, be they negro farmhands under the lash, or a president caught in the death struggle to guide a torn nation back into harmony? Prayer. And, not just once, but every time they felt Him moving. And, then they told each other a few things about the one to whom they looked for answers. One can imagine that the poetic verses with these reminders of Him were mixed and matched in various combinations over the years, judging from what is shown in various sources. Some of these images include God on Mount Sinai, with fire and smoke; God providing a saving path through the Red Sea; God’s salvation through the Jordan River; Jesus being our security when Satan is tempting; and God providing heaven as the believer’s destiny. The common theme throughout is that He’s the One to watch. Cling to Him.
How many songs have emerged inside the crucible of struggle? Discovering this answer might be like trying to find the mathematical solution for the value of Pi to the last digit. It’s infinite, and in fact ongoing. Our struggle continues, more than 160 years after America’s conflict-of-all-conflicts ended. And, from what the negro slaves sang for Abraham and Mary, they recognized that many millennia before their own era, others struggled, too. Oh no, the struggle is inestimable and never-ending! If you and I were sentenced to live as mortals forever, on this broken planet, a wail like that would be reasonable. But, those who first mouthed the words of today’s song had surmised something else. He’s there, listening to prayer. And, He’s already put the plan in place for you and me to find peace. In fact, the victory has already been won in the last conflict. If enslaved, illiterate slaves could figure this out, what is stopping you from discovering the same thing today?
See the following site for a brief account of the song’s reputed first performance: https://www.hymnologyarchive.com/every-time-i-feel-the-spirit
See here for brief information on the song’s background and its verses: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Every_Time_I_Feel_the_Spirit_(song)
See here for the song’s verses also: https://hymnary.org/text/upon_the_mountain_when_my_lord_spoke
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