March 3, 2022

Psst! Are you listening?

Read: 1 Kings 19:11-13

God is always with us, even if we’re not paying attention. Two years ago we were staying distant from friends and family, including church family. Admittedly bored at having to follow COVID-19 protocols, I researched hymns we’ve sung at GPUMC since 2010. I learned, among other things, that we had sung 422 different hymns in that 10 year period.

Since then we’ve learned we can safely gather in person for worship. Thankfully, COVID-19 numbers indicate it is once again safe to have rehearsals and an in-person choir during worship. Unfortunately, the “Groundhog Day Blizzard” made it impossible to rehearse before our return to the choir loft on February 6. We had planned to share a wonderful communion hymn, “Here O My Lord, I See Thee.” It’s been six years since we’ve sung it and we could all have used a refresher. What to do?

Not all of us can practice at home with a piano or keyboard, but we CAN listen to music on our numerous digital devices. If only we could find a recording of “Here O My Lord, I see Thee.” Refer to the first paragraph. I easily found a recording of that hymn and provided a link for choir members to access it. By the time you read this, we’ll be able to ask “How’d we do?”

Did I think, in early 2020, that God moved me to do that research? Nope. It never crossed my mind, perhaps because I wasn’t paying attention. Maybe God was waiting to let me know when that work would prove useful, as it just did, and to make me more aware of His presence.

Fred Van de Putte