There has to be a song!

There has to be a song—
There are too many dark nights,
Too many troublesome days,
Too many wearisome miles,


There has to be a song—
To make our burdens bearable,
To transform our successes into praise,
To release the chains of past defeats,
Somewhere—down deep in a forgotten corner of each man’s heart—

There has to be a song—
Like a cool, clear drink of water,
Like the gentle warmth of sunshine,
Like the tender love of a child.
There has to be a song.

Written by Bob Benson

This poem is one of the many pieces dad collected and used in his sermons, devotionals, radio broadcasts, or writings. If anyone had a song in his heart, it was dad. He sang all the time. He probably forgot more songs that I have learned….and I know quite a few!

One of the evidences of person’s walk with Jesus Christ is that he/she will have a song in their heart. The Bible says that out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks. I often think of Psalm 40 in which the psalmist, David, describes how God hears the cries of the sinner and brings him/her “up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay; and He (God) sets my feet upon a rock, making my footsteps firm. And he put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; many shall see and fear, and will trust in the Lord.” (Psalm 1-3)

Psalm 118:14 says “The Lord is my strength and song and is become my salvation.”

Dad sang his whole life. When he got to the point he could not speak, except for a few words, he could still sing. We live in another state from dad, so I spent a lot of time on the phone with him even though I knew he could not talk. He could only “jabber.” I would talk to him and he would try to respond….but only “gibberish” would come out. It had to be frustrating for him to want to express what he was thinking. The effects of the strokes and the Parkinson’s hindered his communication.

But….then I would say, “Dad, do you remember this song?” And I would start singing any one of countless hymns….and he would sing along, clearly enunciating every word! Whether it was “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me” or “To God be the glory great things He has done…” or any other one I started, he would singing along. In fact, I could quit singing and he would keep on going! And he knew all the verses, helping me if I stumbled on a word or two.

On Father’s Day, two weeks before he passed away, I called him and we sang at least 6 different songs. Now I wish I had kept a record of what we sang. But, even when his body was weak and his voice was weak, his spirit was strong. Jesus, His Song, came through! Now, dad no longer has a weak voice. I am sure that in heaven right now he is boldly and loudly singing “a song of praise to (his) our God.”

Yes, there is a song!