Blues II

Blues II

You know how it is. You wait for ever and three come along at once.

But, I was just thinking ... 

There's one antidote I've found to all the anxiety and stress and that is to play through a few hymns on the keyboard. I don't do it often enough but when I do it always makes me feels better. The tunes and the words provide a salve for the soul.

I was doing this the other morning and stumbled upon, as I often do, a hymn I did not know. It was a hymn by Charles Wesley. (Shame. And me a Methodist.) The words of the second verse seemed like they might have been written yesterday. They just seemed so apt.

The hymn is Open, Lord, my inward ear. (Especially appropriate, I now see, since I'm having problems because I can't get to the hospital to have my ears cleaned out. Violins. Sympathy. Groan. Thanks.) It's 450 in that posh new hymnbook lots of Methodist churches are using these days: Singing the Faith

The second verse goes:

From the world of sin, and noise, and hurry, I withdraw;
for the small and inward voice I wait with humble awe;
Silent am I now and still, dare not in your presence move;
to my waiting soul reveal the secret of your love.

Wow, I thought. Just, wow! I couldn't have put it better myself, Charles.

I didn't know the tune so I hunted high and low to find something familiar that would fit the words. Kelvingrove fits perfectly. You may know it as the tune for Will you come and follow me if I but call your name, the John Bell & Graham Maule hymn from Wild Goose at the Iona Community. That's a great hymn too. It's 673 in Singing the Faith

So, nothing changes. Charles Wesley felt the same in the eighteenth century.

My time is in your hand, he goes on, in verse five:

you can make me understand, though I am slow of heart

 Slow down. I think that's the message. Take time out. Take time out of taking time out in lockdown and let the still, small voice speak.