Hymns With A Message: DOWN IN THE VALLEY

Sunday, September 17, 2017

DOWN IN THE VALLEY

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for Thou are with me; Thy rod and They staff they comfort me." (Psalm 23:4) This very familiar verse is quite often read at funerals when the walk through the valley of death is fresh in our minds. And, unless the Lord comes first, it is a valley that each of us will eventually travel. But it isn't the only valley that we will experience in our lives. Many of us will travel through valleys of pain, disappointment, declining health, economic stress, family problems, trials and persecution, anxiety and depression, rejection, loneliness, failure, loss and the many difficult challenges that are part of life. At those times we need to claim the second part of Psalm 23:4, "...I will fear no evil; for Thou are with me; Thy rod and They staff they comfort me." Knowing that we will all experience valley journeys, the words of this week's hymn choice remind us that we can go through them with our loving Savior who will guide us and protect us as we follow Him. The words of this hymn were written by William Orcutt Cusing (1823-1902). We have shared in this blog before about him since he is also the author of "Hiding In Thee," "When He Cometh," "Under His Wings," and "The Name of Jesus". After many successful years in the pastorate, he lost his power of speech. In this time of despair, he prayed, "Lord, give me something to do for Thee." His prayer was answered, and it seemed as though God gave him the unusual gift of writing songs originally intended for Sunday School. He is said to have written over 300 songs. Concerning this week's song, Cushing said "I wrote this hymn in 1878. Longing to give up all for Christ who had given His life for me, I wanted to be willing to lay everything at His feet with no wish but to do His will, to live henceforth only for His glory. Out of this feeling came this hymn. It was written with the prayer and the hope that some heart might by it be led to give up all for Christ. Much of the power and usefulness of the hymn, however, is due to Mr. Robert Lowry, who put it into song." In this song Cushing reminds us in the first stanza that we must follow Him when times are good. In stanza 2 he suggests that we must follow Him when times are bad. Stanza 3 suggests that we must follow Him at all times, through the valleys as well as upon the mountains of life. The chorus continues to emphasize the importance of following Jesus everywhere He leads us. Are you presently traveling through one of those difficult valleys? If you are, then claim the truth of this hymn. With His hand to lead us safely in the path which He has trod, we can walk with the Savior and follow Him where ever He may lead. What a comfort to experience that even in the darkest of valleys. Follow on!

1. Down in the valley with my Savior I would go,

Where the flowers are blooming and the sweet waters flow;

Everywhere He leads me I would follow, follow on,

Walking in His footsteps till the crown be won.

Follow! follow! I would follow Jesus!

Anywhere, everywhere, I would follow on!

Follow! follow! I would follow Jesus!

Everywhere He leads me I would follow on!

2 Down in the valley with my Savior I would go,

Where the storms are sweeping and the dark waters flow;

With His hand to lead me I will never, never fear,

Dangers cannot fright me if my Lord is near.