The text: “What is the outcome then? I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the mind also; I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also.” 1 Corinthians 14:15
KNOW THE BACKGROUND
It is not always easy to learn the reason why certain authors wrote songs. Sometimes they just have a rush of poetry that floods their heart and they have to put it down on paper. But sometimes, they experience events in their lives that lead them to write certain words. I offer two examples to illustrate how the knowledge of a song’s background can enrich our singing…
Perhaps you’ve heard of the song, “It is Well with my Soul.” Horatio Spafford and his wife Anna lived in Chicago in the 1860s. He was a lawyer and had invested in real estate. When the Great Fire reduced the city to ashes in October of 1871, it destroyed Spafford’s investments. In 1873, Spafford took his family to Europe for a vacation. He himself was delayed but his family continued. On November 22, 1873, in the Atlantic, their ship was struck 226 people lost their lives, including all four of Horatio’s daughters. Anna survived and after arriving in England, sent a telegram to Spafford beginning “Saved alone.” According to Bertha Vester (a daughter born later), Spafford wrote “It Is Well with My Soul” on this journey.
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The second song I want to share its history is “The Gospel is for All.” As I understand the story, J. M. McCaleb was a long-time missionary to Japan in the late 1880s and early 1900s. He returned to America at the outbreak of World War II. He influenced a lot of people to do mission work. One time, while in America raising support, he was visiting a church in Nashville, TN, asking for support. The elders turned him down, saying they would rather support the preaching of the Gospel to the heathen at home as opposed to those overseas. McCaleb left that meeting discouraged and composed the poem that became this song. Note verse 2: “Say not the heathen are at home, beyond we have to call. For why should we be blessed alone. The Gospel is for all.” With the background to these two songs in mind, let’s sing with the understanding…
We’ll look at one more aspect of singing next week.
–Paul Holland
