Since I grew up in church, hymn lyrics provided the primary
poetry in my life. Well, that and Robert Lewis Stevenson’s A Child’s Garden
of Verse. Decades later, I can still recite some of the latter. And I still
like to swing and eat animal crackers but without the cocoa. However, the words
to hymns escape me until the music begins and kinetic memory beckons me to sing
along.
During the day, I usually turn on instrumental versions of
classical hymns to fill my home with memories and uplift my spirit. Often,
those same old favorites run through my mind, and I like that good company.
This week, though, an internal recording got stuck on a tune I’d heard but couldn’t recall the words. What made this disconcerting was hearing the phrase, “And shall be till I die” play on automatic repeat!
I tried to change the music in my head, but after a short intermission, there was that phrase again, “And shall be till I die” – playing over and over and…. So, I did what most people now do. I Googled the phrase. Up popped “There Is a Fountain” with sheet music showing five verses, the second-to-last of which ended, “And shall be till I die.”
By this time, I was sure God was trying to tell me something, so I couldn’t help but wonder if He were telling me I’m going to die. Yes, we all are, but I was hoping to wait a while. Nevertheless, with a little trepidation, I read the lyrics of that fourth line, and here’s what I found:
“Redeeming love has been my theme; And shall be till I die.”
Yes! Thank You, God! I can live with that theme! And, Lord
willing, that theme – that purpose – shall continue in me until I die.
Amen!
©2025, Mary Harwell Sayler
