Timeless Lyrics

Crawl with me into an imaginary old cave. It is dark, a soft dark. It invites us to hide away from the threat of an undefined day, and within it explore the comforts of time passed. The cave is lined with chests, archaic gold chests that leak bright light. Each holds a pile of words, poetry, language sewn together in a previous time. These chests protect the lyrics of ageless songs. These timeless words married tunes of music under heaven’s eye, and there found a covenant of art that would feed people for a very long time.
 
Come with me further into the cave. I want to share with you a string of lyrics that I re-discovered this week. Open this chest with me. Watch these dancing words emerge! These lyrics breathe. They breathe as if they waited a hundred years to breathe again for me, for you. Pull out the string, finger through them, let them feed you, as they have me this week. A poem credited to Joseph M. Scritten, written in 1855, a hundred and sixty five years ago. 

What a friend we have in Jesus
All our sins and griefs to bear
And what a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer

Oh, what peace we often forfeit
Oh, what needless pain we bear
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer

Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged
Take it to the Lord in prayer

Can we find a friend so faithful
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness
Take it to the Lord in prayer

What is the "it" in your life right now? Take it to the Lord in prayer. These age-old lyrics invite us into soul liberty. That liberty is the release of "it" into prayer. The answer lies in prayer. 

Reflection: What old song feeds your soul? Can you pull it out this week and let it feed you? Read it's lyrics out loud over your heart. Don't scroll through them and move on, sit with them. Let them sit with you.