Sam had found an abundance...
Illustration
Sam had found an abundance of blessing in his day. It had begun with the words to the chorus of an old hymn running through his head:
Lord, lift me up and let me stand,
By faith, on Heaven's tableland,
A higher plane than I have found;
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.
("Higher Ground," words by Johnson Oatman, Jr., 1926.)
He wondered what had caused him to awaken with this hymn in his thoughts. A dream, perhaps? He remembered no dream. Whatever the cause, the refrain had stayed with him throughout the day, its haunting melody and words expressing a desire so deep within him that he would never have been aware of it but for the gift of the music. Sam did need to be on "higher ground." He'd been down too long, in a pit of despair. Life was not meant to be lived like that and he wasn't going to live his that way anymore. He'd come to that understanding several hours after he awakened, as he really began to hear the message of the old hymn. Then, with each circumstance the day brought, he seemed really to be lifted up. He knew that in some unfathomable way, throughout his entire day, he had been blessed with God's healing grace. The old hymn had begun in his head that morning; now it rang in his heart to bless his days for years to come. -- Fannin
Lord, lift me up and let me stand,
By faith, on Heaven's tableland,
A higher plane than I have found;
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.
("Higher Ground," words by Johnson Oatman, Jr., 1926.)
He wondered what had caused him to awaken with this hymn in his thoughts. A dream, perhaps? He remembered no dream. Whatever the cause, the refrain had stayed with him throughout the day, its haunting melody and words expressing a desire so deep within him that he would never have been aware of it but for the gift of the music. Sam did need to be on "higher ground." He'd been down too long, in a pit of despair. Life was not meant to be lived like that and he wasn't going to live his that way anymore. He'd come to that understanding several hours after he awakened, as he really began to hear the message of the old hymn. Then, with each circumstance the day brought, he seemed really to be lifted up. He knew that in some unfathomable way, throughout his entire day, he had been blessed with God's healing grace. The old hymn had begun in his head that morning; now it rang in his heart to bless his days for years to come. -- Fannin
