Mosie Lister. You may not know that name, but hopefully you know some of the songs he’s written. One of my favorites is “Then I Met the Master.” I especially love the Booth Brothers rendition of it, which you can find on YouTube.
But this morning, the Mosie Lister song that ministers to my soul is, “Till the Storm Passes By.” The opening verse and chorus goes like this: In the dark of the midnight have I oft hid my face / While the storm howls above me, and there’s no hiding place / ‘Mid the crash of the thunder, Precious Lord, hear my cry / Keep me safe till the storm passes by. [Chorus] Till the storm passes over, till the thunder sounds no more / Till the clouds roll forever from the sky. / Hold me fast, let me stand in the hollow of Thy hand / Keep me safe till the storm passes by.
It seems every time the news comes on or there’s an update from CDC or government, the storm howls a bit louder. Every time a new death occurs from COVID-19, the thunder crashes again. It seems no one knows when this storm will end. We are told to stay at home, and in Idaho that directive ends on April 15, but if you are like me, there’s this nagging feeling that wonders if they will extend it past that original date. We can hunker down for three weeks, but what if it becomes six or even nine weeks. How will that “shelter-in-place” affect our spiritual and emotional well-being.
It is then I sing those last lines of Mosie’s chorus, “Hold me fast, let me stand in the hollow of Thy hand, keep me safe till the storm passes by.” And when I sing that chorus, I remember the words of Jesus.
“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” [John 10:27-30]
I listen to the voice of the Shepherd. I follow Him. I shall not perish. And nothing, no one, can take me out of the hands of my Savior and my Father.
Be comforted, beloved, storms end, God’s care for us never does.
