I can still remember the smell of sweet cinnamon rolls and polished wood in the sanctuary as we sat each week on the tan cushioned pews. Miss Bertha, who made those delicious cinnamon rolls, sat in the front, and I can still hear her “amens.” I remember our voices blending as we sang the hymns each week, but my mind wasn’t on the music. I was wishing the hour would pass faster so we could get to Casa Bonita for lunch. There was one hymn, however, that could catch and hold my attention, because it was about stories.
This is my story, this is my song. Praising my Savior all the day long! It felt like a story and a song just for me. Each time we sang that hymn, I pictured myself reading a storybook aloud. It was my story, and I could even sing it!
I changed my iTunes list recently so I could listen to the old hymns on my prayer walks. I’ve had Jadon Lavik’s hymn album, Roots Run Deep, on repeat, loving and savoring every note and each comforting word. Music is an important part of my life. My mom was a piano teacher and I grew up singing. I quit piano since I never liked to practice, but thanks to Mom, I inherited a love for music that went beyond practicing scales and learning music theory. God changes me through the words and notes of music.
During this past season of pandemic, I’ve been listening to music non-stop, but on my prayer walk one song caused me to halt and listen closer. When I heard it, I was back in that pew singing with Mom and Dad, surrounded by others who were proclaiming, This is my story, this is my song. Praising my Savior all the day long! Through the years, I have learned to be thankful for my story, even though it contains dark storms as well as bright sunshine. God has given each of us a story, and a song that belongs to us. Our story is born and blessed by Him, and even the broken ones may help change or save someone’s life. But the stories need to be shared.
I sat in a meeting recently and listened to a woman share her story of hope and redemption. I was amazed by what she walked through, and how she had emerged victoriously. “You need to share this with many,” I told her. She responded she had never thought about it, and wondered who would want to hear it? So many times, we think our stories aren’t moving or dramatic enough, but someone may walk the same journey you have been through, and they need your voice. They need your story.
Fannie Crosby, who wrote Blessed Assurance, experienced blindness, widowhood, deaths of family members, and continuous obstacles. In 1873,
during one of the most painful moments in her life, she wrote this song. She embraced her story and walked with praise and anticipation of “a foretaste of glory divine.” Jesus was her story! Reading about Francis made Blessed Assurance even more special.
The older I get, the more I learn to embrace every moment of my story. The seasons brought me to a place of knowing that my story is blessed, and that Jesus is mine. He is the author who weaves my story into a beautiful tapestry that doesn’t hide the dark places. There is a season of rest in my story as I watched and waited for the joy that was to come. It is His story, which allows me to walk with peace, and blessed assurance.
Think of your own story. Everything you have endured and all that you have overcome. Listen to Blessed Assurance and meditate on the words. This is your story. This is your song. And you are blessed, all the day long. You are never too broken to share your story, even if the valley is dark and the pieces of your life are scattered at your feet. Maybe it’s time you shared that story with someone. It just might change a life.
Click here to listen to Blessed Assurance by Jadon Lavik
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine
Heir of salvation, purchase of God
Born of His spirit, washed in His blood
Perfect submission, all is at rest
I in my Savior, am happy and blessed
Watching and waiting, looking above
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love, oh oh
This is my story, this is my song
Praising my Savior all the day long
This is my story, this is my song
Praising my Savior all the day long