Ira Sankey was a
rich singer of Christian songs and was widely known and loved throughout all of
America. He was the George Beverly Shea of his day.
Ira had served the
Union during the Civil War. During that horrible war, he often found himself on
picket duty, and he would wile away the hours with tunes he’d learned at home
and in church. Even then his music was nothing short of marvelous to hear.
Restless troops slumbered peacefully beneath its spell.
It was a fine
night. A cloudless sky offered Ira a better view of the stars than usual. His
songs were more copious and more beautiful than ever this evening. It was then
that a Confederate soldier “drew a bead” on the sentry across the river; the
sentry with the short name of… Ira.
The Civil War
ended, and years turned into decades.
A riverboat rounds
the bend, and we hear music. Suddenly, on the night air, we make out the rich
baritone of a gifted singer. We board that boat, and go into the dining hall.
The fine singer has
just concluded his program, and sits down. Applause fills the air, and the
crowd begins to converse, and eat meals that have grown cold, as they sat in
rapt attention.
One particular man
steps up to Ira, and introduces himself. There is a bit of small talk, and Mr.
Sankey recognizes a Southern accent. The stranger begins to ask some
mind-stirring questions; questions that revive the war years again.
“Mr. Sankey, were
you at such and such a river, on such and such a day during the war?” Ira’s
face registered curiosity and interest. “Yes, I was there. How could you know?”
The stranger
smiled a whimsical smile, and asked another question. “Were you on sentry duty
during the few days your unit was camped out on that river?”
Again, the answer…
“Yes, I remember it well.” Finally, the last question, “Did you sing aloud as
you sat sentry?” Ira blinked. “Yes, Yes, I always sang on sentry duty.”
Well, you could
have knocked the stranger over with a feather. He looked at Ira with an
expression that registered such love, and wonderment that Sankey could not draw
his eyes away from him.
“Mr. Sankey, I was
just across the river from you that night. I was also doing sentry for my unit.
Upon hearing your songs, I scanned the banks, and noticed you there, all alone.
I thoroughly enjoyed your music, and lingered there for what seemed like hours.
And then I realized that I had a job to do. I raised my rifle to my shoulder,
and “drew a bead” on your chest. I put my finger to the trigger, and exerted a
bit of pressure. Again, and again, I paused, and lowered the weapon, only to
bring it back up to my shoulder. In the end, I could not shoot you. Your
Christian songs were too beautiful, and beckoned me towards home. Had I shot
you, it would have been like killing Christ Himself.”
We cannot know
what hand “Fate” will deal us. We do know Who holds our hand. We can rest
assured that “all things work together for good to those who love God.” (Romans
8:28, KJV) We can be sure that He will use us ‘til He is through, and will
ultimately give us a home in heaven.
Paul speaks of
this concept in the wonderful book of Philippians. “I cannot know whether God
will leave me here, or whether He will take me on to my reward. Perhaps for your
sake, He will give me favor to remain for awhile.” (Chapter One, MPV)
“But this life, and the lust of it is passing away, but he
that does the will of the Lord endures forever.” (1st John 2:17,
KJV)
No comments:
Post a Comment