Friday, May 7, 2004

Through it all ...

By DAVID EPPS
Pastor

It was a warm summer Sunday in 1979 and the worship service was underway. Sunday School had concluded with much lively discussion in the Adult Class, the children had just learned of the triumph of David, the king-to-be, over the giant Goliath, and, as always, the youth had challenged the skill and resources of the teacher.

The congregation was seated after having sung several hymns and choruses. Prayers for the nation, for the sick and for others had been offered. There was a hush as the soloist made her way to the microphone to present a selection by the great black performer Andrae Crouch. By her countenance, however, it was evident that particular song held special meaning for her as she sang:

“I’ve had many tears and sorrows,

And I’ve had questions for tomorrow,

And there’ve been times when I didn’t know right from wrong.

But in those lonely hours,

Oh, those precious lonely hours,

Jesus told me I was his own.”

From my vantage point on the platform, I was able to observe the reactions of various individuals to the words and message of the song. There was the 13-year-old, a victim of abuse and the product of a home in turmoil. How many tears and sorrows had he experienced? Seated near him was a man who had undergone many surgical procedures and frequent brushes with death. How many questions for tomorrow had entered his mind?

Across the aisle sat a former narcotics user and dealer. Near him was seated a veteran who had been terribly wounded in the green hell of Vietnam. How many times had they each thought about the issues of right and wrong? As the music continued, I saw women who had once had husbands, children who had once had fathers, bow their heads and begin to weep. They knew all too well about those lonely hours.ÊThere was a man who wife had left him and, over there, a woman whose husband had recently died. I was reminded that Christians are certainly not immune to the hardships and sorrows of life.

Others were radiant as the smiles of gratitude broke across their faces. They had lived through tragedy and entered triumph. On one pew was a man who had once been an alcoholic. On the back row was a reunited family that had overcome betrayal, distrust, and divorce.

Then there was my own family. Jason was 7 back then. We had almost lost him years before to a raging fever and we learned the meaning of helplessness as we turned to God in desperation. Lying asleep on the pew was John, age 5, who very nearly hadn’t been born at all. Beside them was their mother. We had teetered on the edge of divorce for years, yet here we all were, together worshipping God and trusting him for our future.

And as we, the members of that congregation, had discovered, in the loneliest, darkest hours of our lives, Jesus had made his presence real. And so we were easily able to identify with the closing chorus of the song our soloist sang:

“Through it all, through it all,

I’ve learned to trust in Jesus,

I’ve learned to trust in God.

Through it all, through it all,

I’ve learned to depend upon his word."

Here and there persons began to join in the singing of those words. In the back, a woman lifted her hand, as though to grasp the hand of the One whose presence was so strongly felt. The former drug dealer and the Vietnam vet both wiped away tears. Sentimentality? Emotionalism? Or, perhaps, these who had experienced so much pain and difficulty had learned that “through it all” God was ever present to love and to care and to undergird. That “through it all” they could trust and depend on Him.

[Father David Epps is rector of Christ the King Charismatic Episcopal Church on Ga. Highway 34 between Peachtree City and Newnan. The church offers Sunday services at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. He may be contacted at www.ctkcec.org or at frepps@ctkcec.org.]