MY MUM'S FAVOURITE HYMN 

My Mum

You would have loved my mum; she never liked to be the centre of attention and was happiest working in the background. At any church event, she could always be found behind a teapot. She was a good cook and made a mean bread pudding, while her apple pie was to die for. She was kind, loving, and a good mother; I could go on with a list as long as your arm.

Apart from her simple faith, her children, and grandchildren were the most important people in her life. But I could sum my mum up in one short sentence. She was lovely. 

I remember her working hard cleaning for other people, earning money for things like holidays, special treats for the family, or a day at the seaside.

Our home was always clean and tidy, and family always came first. My sister and I never went without, although at times we had to wait a while until funds were sufficient to buy a particular item.

My childhood was a very happy time, and it was only when I stepped beyond the bounds set by Mum and Dad that all she had to say to bring me back into line was “Just wait until your father gets home”. Mum was very fair, and I probably got away with much more than I should have.

When she became a Christian, she had a favourite hymn which she would sing around the house as she went about her chores, caring for the family.

That hymn stayed with her until she passed away; it was a hymn that summed up my mum's Christian life. She was, how shall I put it, not an over-the-top Christian but one who had a deep, simple faith in a saviour who loved her and cared about her. She lived at a time when women wore hats to church and would be found serving tea and biscuits after the mid-week meetings.

Mum's favourite hymn was “What a friend we have in Jesus”, and in it, she found the expression of her faith. Simple yet profound. She took the words and simply applied them to every aspect of her life, and found the truth written in them never failed her.

Please take just a moment to read or re-read these words, written in 1855

What a friend we have in Jesus

All our sins and griefs to bear!

What a privilege to carry

Everything to God in prayer!

Oh, what peace we often forfeit

Oh, what needless pain we bear,

All because we do not carry

Everything to God in prayer!

Have we trials and temptations?

Is there trouble anywhere?

We should never be discouraged-

Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Can we find a friend so faithful

Who will all our sorrows share

Jesus knows our every weakness.

Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy-laden?

Cumbered with a load of care?

Precious Saviour, still our refuge-

Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?

Take it to the Lord in prayer!

In His arms, he'll take and shield thee

Thou wilt find a solace there.

Many of you reading these words will be familiar with them,

Try putting them into action today

They are as relevant today as when they were written.

In times like these.

 When I was a child we would sing songs we called choruses, they put many of the Old Testament stories to music, and we learned them off by heart. Stories like Noah and the ark, David and Goliath or Jonah and the whale, New Testament stories were included with songs such as Zacceous was a very little man, or Peter and John went to pray. Even today, 70 years later I can still remember the words. There were other choruses we learned that held the truth of the gospel in a nutshell.

I became a Christian when I was a small child, but even now the truth I learned then remains with me now 

 In today's world, there is never a day goes by without our television or newspaper telling us of a disaster somewhere in the world which makes me think the world has gone mad. We ask ourselves how on earth can people be so evil towards their fellow men. What on earth is going on? We watch our politicians and think if only they had the smallest amount of common sense things might be different, and then we wonder where it will all end. Sometimes life can seem very uncertain and uncomfortable. Being a Christian does not make us immune from what is going on around us, in fact, I think it should make us sensitive to the things that are going on around us.                        

There's a lot of space out there. Where do I go?

It's in times like these I am reminded of one of the songs I sang all those years ago 

    My Lord knows the way through the wilderness 

    All I have to do is follow,

    My Lord knows the way through the wilderness 

    All I have to do is follow.

    Strength for today is mine all the way 

   And all I need for tomorrow 

   My Lord knows the way through the wilderness 

   All I have to do is follow.

We are encouraged in God's word not to be childish but to have a childlike faith, and keep our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2)

He knows the way through our particular wilderness, and all we have to do is follow. Put your faith in the place of your fear and doubts.