Over There
A Home in the Promised Land
Over There
If hearts could speak
Would they mention the weak
How often I pray, how deeply I seek?
If hearts had a voice
Would they make the right choice
To believe in love, to rejoice?
If souls should weep
How dark and how deep
The feelings that we keep
Are these shadows our grief?
Where to find sweet relief.
In the music of our belief?
If spirits would build a fire
From the wounds, the desire
All the memories that so inspire
If only we knew how to reveal
All the music, how it can heal
All the love, it can make me feel!
If hearts could tell me how to hear
The gentle words of love so sincere
If the soul could let me know
The beautiful kindness that can grow
If spirits would shed their sweet light
Yes, we know all the wrong is made right…
We would see what it means to be
Caught up in a love that makes hearts free
Sealed by the One who offers His hand
He hung on a tree, just as God had planned
Because I know this grace that He gave
There is no doubting – He surely did save
I know, without a doubt, He is the way out
I know, because He lives, my soul can shout
I know, beyond the skies, lies a hope that never dies
I know, for you and I, there is love that never lies
I know, when death comes down, He will take my hand
Offer the way to the unending grace, a home in the promised land!
A Little Longer
Just a little bit longer and I’ll be home,
No more worries, no more pain –
Joy everlasting, my heart will never roam,
With this endless love I’ll ever remain…
Just a little bit longer and I’ll say goodbye –
To darkness and doubting, clouds in the sky,
There will be so much shouting I’ll not cry,
Because this life is over – the Lord is nearby.
Just a little bit longer and I’ll pass into eternal life,
Never a fear to ponder, only Jesus Christ,
He’ll come to meet me, promising there’ll be no strife
Thankful that I’m saved because of what He sacrificed!
Just a little bit longer, in the twinkling of an eye,
My heart will be in heaven where I’ll abide,
Because He saved me – His blood will apply…
Covering my sins, thankful that I won’t be denied.
Just a little bit longer and I’ll let go of this old globe,
There won’t be any reason to hold on anymore,
I’ll be exchanging my fleshly body for a royal robe,
Forever alive because of the One I will forever adore!
Just a little bit longer and I’ll be home, in paradise,
Where I’ll never need to feel lost or forlorn,
He will always be with me, offering love that will suffice,
Because He lived here on earth and overcame the scorn.
Just a little bit longer and I’ll know what it means to give,
With a heart full of joy, a soul full of gentlest peace,
Grateful for the grace and love that was there to forgive,
The perfect hope that He brought to us will only increase.
Just a little bit longer and I’ll give up this lonely time,
Offer my praise because the rapture has finally come,
It’s been a lonesome road and a hard, hard climb…
But, finally at home, I’ll see the light and know the outcome…
Just a little bit longer and I’ll be home, forever alive
In the skies where my soul, my light, will never die,
I’ll always be joyful that I continued to strive…
Reaching my final destination, with Jesus Christ on high!Whether performed during Easter or Christmas, Messiah, with its powerful “Hallelujah Chorus,” has unquestionably been used as a means to evangelize and spread the gospel to a wide audience. Moreover, the message of Messiah has served as a source of inspiration for millions of people, compelling them to donate to those in need, all in the name of Christ. Most composers from that era never expected their music would endure beyond their lifetime. Handel’s Messiah is certainly the outlier, being perhaps the oldest continuously performed composition from any composer. Yet George Frideric Handel refused to take the credit. In a beautiful gesture, at the end of Messiah, Handel paid homage to his faith by including the letters “SDG” for Soli Deo Gloria, which means “To God Alone the Glory.”
Vermilye, Alan. The Hymns of Easter: Daily Lent and Easter Devotions on Classic Hymns (40 Daily Devotions for Lent and Easter) (The Devotional Hymn Series) (pp. 18-19). Brown Chair Books. Kindle Edition.
In closing, SDG
