I'd Rather Have Jesus -- Rhea F. Miller

 

It was something her father had said that stuck with her. He’d had enough courage to reform himself and admit some years later that “I’d Rather Have Jesus” than anything he could set his eyes upon. His daughter Rhea F. Miller still remembered that testimony years later as she took a walk, probably not too far from where her father had made such a radical statement about his life in Brooktondale, New York (near Ithaca, see map here). His statement was not just an empty pledge, but one that had profoundly affected his life and those family members around him. Rhea’s father, Martin J. Ross, had made a choice, and what he said indicates he had considered other options. His own deliberations must have been the subject of more than one sermon he delivered, especially since his life’s previous trajectory was notorious to so many. At what point does a person reflect and make a rational decision? That must have been one question Rhea asked herself, and others to whom she told the story of her dad.  

 

One can surmise from reading the biographic material offered at Rhea Miller’s memorial (see the findagrave link below) that her father’s life turnaround was an extraordinary event in her own life. As a 28-year old, Rhea shared the story of her father’s alcoholism and repentance into a life of ministry as she strolled in the area where she’d grown up. Perhaps he’d said repeatedly the words of the poem she would write, even during sermons or in personal testimonies, so that she just couldn’t possibly forget them. Her mother, Bertha, was a believer even while Martin was a drunk, something that must have gnawed at the family and been the subject of more than a few episodes of public embarrassment. One can imagine the family’s outpouring of appreciation to fellow believers for answered prayer when Martin’s radical life-change took shape. Maybe it was a minister or another believer who convinced Martin that the alcohol to which he was addicted would be worthless as life wore on, but that the offer of Jesus would only grow more tangible and meaningful, and would really be healthier for himself and his family in the here and now. His assumption of ministry as his rehabilitated life’s calling was a further stamp on the genuine nature of this change; Rhea would also marry a man committed to ministry, perhaps a reflection of what had happened to her father. Rhea would spend much of her own life as a music teacher, including writing several hymns in addition to ‘I’d Rather…’.  One can imagine that she may have related the story of her father’s transformation to her students, many of whom no doubt would have had life goals that she tried to steer in positive ways.

 

What would Rhea’s recollection of her father’s transformed-life words have said to young music students she taught? Don’t be entranced with chasing wealth (v.1), the esteem of others (v.2), or power over others (chorus). Those things won’t last. ‘Rather…’, Rhea and her father said over and over. The poem invites one to weigh the choices, and it’s always Jesus on one side of the scales versus the items I can observe here. The glitzy thing I have now tarnishes, becomes dusty, or just wears out after years of use, forcing me to buy a new one. So, is what I can see today reliably fresh and gratifying years from now? Rhea’s dad had discovered what any one of us can confirm – things here don’t last. It’s time to try on Him whom I cannot yet see, except through faith vision.         

 

See the song story according to the author here: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/42445380/rhea-f.-miller

 

See here for birth/death dates and places of the author: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/bio/m/i/l/l/e/miller_rf.htm

 

See more information on the song story’s musical composer 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;101 More Hymn Stories, by Kenneth W. Osbeck, Kregel Publications, 1985; Then Sings My Soul, by Robert J. Morgan, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, TN, 2003; and Stories Behind Popular Songs and Hymns, by Lindsay Terry, Baker Book House, 1990 .

Our Heavenly Father Understands -- Broadus E. Smith

 

He learned some very basic things growing up near Farmerville, Louisiana (see map), which stuck with him as closely as his birthplace by the time he reached his seventh decade of life. Broadus E. Smith probably had heard countless times by 1972 that “Our Heavenly Father Understands”, either directly or by inference, so that one could imagine that this poem he wrote as a 62-year old flowed readily from his hand and his heart. How does one establish intimacy and stay close to the Creator? Broadus had grasped the answer, and must have been teaching it to many others, even before he musically expressed the solution to this question. And yet, by making his answer into a song so it could be published, what Broadus had to say reached out much further than the northern Louisiana parish where he spent all of his life. Just how far do you think his song’s message could take you?

 

Broadus Smith grew up in a large community, both in his childhood home and probably in the church where his parents worshipped to foster the faith of himself and his brothers and sisters. Eleven brothers and sisters no doubt made Smith’s household a lively organism for his parents, who we could surmise must have prayed constantly to keep in touch with wisdom’s source! If it was like other churches where the Smith clan regularly gathered with the larger community for the weekly renewal of devotion to God, that body of believers prayed routinely, even fervently for guidance. Singing must have been as frequent as the prayer times, such that Broadus made it a significant part of his life’s work to make music and to teach it to others. Multiple music schools helped Broadus hone his skills, which he passed along via the baton and through the pen for most of his adult life. These skills translated into 100 songs that he wrote, including ‘Our Heavenly Father Understands’, which we might see as the high moment in his lifelong work. His words expressed that prayer (v.1 and chorus) was a principle he wanted to pass along to his hearers, that the God he’d known since childhood was accessible. And, more than that, a community of believers that engaged in this form of communication strengthened each other (v.1). Perhaps it was something that Broadus witnessed numerous times, that families – including spiritual ones -- that join hands together are never truly alone, whether on one’s daily walk along the ‘straight and narrow’ (v.2), or especially on one’s final day as a mortal being (v.3). The need of every human doesn’t get more basic than that, does it?  

 

What would it be like for you and me if God couldn’t understand? Some people already think that – agnostics or atheists are what they call themselves. What Broadus had discovered and written about in 1972 is that prayer is not only vertical, but horizontal. God has to be there, or my prayers are useless; that is a pivotal thing. But also, when I know others are bringing my needs and desires to Him, I don’t feel quite so forlorn, even if my situation is desperate. Could that be what impedes belief by some, that they experience life without others to help voice their innermost feelings? Or, perhaps they think He doesn’t care or understand because of a past hurt that seemed inescapable and unappeased. What might Broadus say in response? You need people, lots of them. And, this God was one of us, once. He knows what it’s like for you and me. Who else can you go to, if you don’t have Him? What have you got to lose by believing in Him and linking arms with others who do too?  

 

 

 

See the following site for very brief biography of the author-composer: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/bio/s/m/i/t/h/b/smith_be.htm

 

Also see the following book for more information: Our Garden of Song, edited by Gene C. Finley, Howard Publishing Company, West Monroe, LA, 1980.

My Only Hope Is You -- John Paul Trimble

 

Who is he? That’s a question we cannot directly answer at the moment, but we do know something by inference about John Paul Trimble. You see, John was making himself a mirror for the One he wanted to highlight when he wrote something addressing Jesus: “My Only Hope Is You”, John said. He also included some other ideas that he associated with the Christ, telling just a little about himself in the process and how he related to this God-man. The Spirit of God (shown as a dove in this 17^th Century Bartolome Murillo masterpiece) might have been in contact with the song’s author, if you pay attention to what words he uses in the poetry. Trimble had much he wanted to bring to Jesus’ attention, issues that he could not attribute to other sources. Who else has the ability to convey so much, just by being himself? That’s John Trimble’s God.

 

John Trimble’s encounter with God was an episode that apparently left him feeling unreserved about what the Holy One meant to him. What was it John said that indicates this? ‘Only’ and ‘all’ are the modifiers he employs to stress just how much he had gained from his contact with the Holy God. Trimble says ‘only’ hope, ‘only’ joy, ‘only’ peace, and ‘all’ that I need… when he lays out his devotion’s depth to this Divine Being. Two of the acquisitions he relished – Joy and Peace – are outgrowths of the Spirit (Galatians 5: 22) that he sang about specifically, lending further credence to John’s connection with the Spirit-God. And, John’s encounters with Jesus were not short-lived affairs, but lasted all day, every day ‘from…morning ‘til…night’. What were Trimble’s circumstances when he felt the composing urge? We know not at this point, but by not knowing any details, does that tell us something about this author-composer? If he had wanted, one might guess that some biographic details would have been made available about John Paul Trimble. Since there are none, perhaps he was just a bit shy, or maybe engaged in other activities that he considered most significant. His unpretentious poetry is particularly engaging when paired with the music he chose, so he was pretty effective as a songwriter on this occasion. Was this Trimble’s only song, perhaps? Even if John Trimble was a ‘one-hit wonder’, one suspects that that situation was okay with him; after all, he had the God who provided the ‘only’ and ‘all’ on a 24/7 schedule. Does it get any better than that?

 

John wanted to focus the spotlight on Jesus. So, doing that is no problem for us believers, and we can hopefully meet John someday to ask him to tell us more about what exactly he was thinking as he composed. The name ‘Jesus’ appears over 1,300 times in scripture (1,310 times in the New International Version of the Bible; some others include 1,477 times in the New Living Translation; 1,058 times in the English Standard Version; and 942 times in the King James Version, to name just a few). Would it be enough to give Jesus credit 1,300 times in a lifetime for what He’s done? One could guess that John Trimble might have said ‘that’s not nearly enough!’ So, maybe you and I would need to mix in a lot of non-verbal activity to make up for the deficit. Would that be sufficient? Making it up to Jesus for the hope, joy, peace, and all that I will have in eternity is just too much to fathom. The great thing is that He doesn’t want payment. He just wants me. And you. And everybody else who will come. He’s truly the Only God.