Precious Lord, take my hand. Lead me on, let me stand I am tired, I am weak, I am worn. Through the storm, through the night Lead me on to the light. Take my hand, precious Lord Lead me home.
When my way grows dreary precious Lord linger near. When my light is almost gone Hear my cry, hear my call. Hold my hand lest I fall. Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home.
When the darkness appears and the night draws near And the day is past and gone. At the river I stand Guide my feet, hold my hand Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home.
A Powerful Gospel Song
If you grew up in the Black Church, you most likely have heard this powerful gospel song. This is the chorus of a hymn written in 1932 by Thomas A Dorsey, who is considered to be the father of Black Gospel music. Precious Lord, Take My Hand is the most recorded gospel song ever.
The Father Of Gospel Music
Thomas A. Dorsey was born in Villa Rica, Georgia on July 1, 1899, the oldest of three children. His family was very religious, and his father was a minister. The family sharecropped on a small farm, and his father would also travel to churches in the area to preach. Music was very much part of the family’s life. The family moved to Atlanta when Dorsey was about eight years old. His family was able to own an organ, where Dorsey was able to develop his musical skills as a blues musician. He started playing in brothels, and at rent parties, and for house parties.
Off To Chicago
He moved to Chicago in 1919, where he also started composing. In 1923, he became pianist and leader of the Wild Cats Jazz Band, which was the band that accompanied blues singer Ma Rainey. He composed and arranged music for her. In 1925 Dorsey married Nettie Harper. Dorsey, in 1926 struggled with deep depression for a couple of years even to the point where he even contemplated suicide.
Spiritual Reawakening
He had a spiritual reawakening in 1928 while attending church with his sister-in-law. From that point on, he vowed to concentrate on gospel music. His gospel music had a heavy blues influence, and many black churches condemned it as being too worldly, but he didn’t really see any real difference between the blues, and church music, other than the lyrics. He served as director of music at Pilgrim Baptist Church in Chicago, and in 1932 he co-founded the National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses, which was an organization that was dedicated to training musicians and singers.
Tragedy Strikes
Then in August 1932 in Chicago, IL., Dorsey’s wife, Nettie, died during childbirth, and then 24 hours later, his infant son died as well. In his inconsolable grief, he turned to the piano for comfort, and ended up writing this iconic gospel song.
Hardly A Funeral Song
You may have heard this song sung at funerals, in fact, Mahalia Jackson sang this song at the funeral of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., as it was said to be his favorite song. It is hardly a funeral song though. This is a song about life. It’s a song about moving forward, when you feel like you can’t take one more step.
Keep Pressing On
Precious Lord, Take My Hand is a song about continuing on when all you really feel like doing is giving up. Life can be hard. We go through many tragic things in life, many that we have no control over. Thomas Dorsey wrote this song in his grief over losing his wife, and his infant son. This was probably the darkest point in his life, and he called out to God to take his hand and lead him, because he is too weak to do it himself.
Footprints
This reminds me of the poem “Footprints”. If you haven’t heard of this poem, it is basically about a man who had a dream about walking on a beach with the Lord. He saw the scenes of his life flash before him, and he noticed two sets of footsteps in the sand. He noticed though, there were times when there were only one set of footprints, and this would happen at times when he was at his lowest. He asked the Lord why he left him during his most troublesome times. The Lord answered that the times when he saw one set of footprints, it wasn’t because the Lord had left him, but those were the times when the Lord had carried him.
He Will Never Forsake Us
Hebrews 13: 5 says, “Do not succumb to the love of money, but be content with what you have, for God has said, “I will never forsake you or abandon you.” Sometimes when you are going through different trials and tribulations, it can seem like God is very far away, and that your prayers may be falling on deaf ears. You wonder why God is not answering your prayers, or helping you through the trial, but after you are out of it, and you look back on it, you can see just how God actually did bring you through.
The Lord Helps Us
Truthfully, we don’t even have to ask God to take our hand. Isaiah 41:13 says ‘For I the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who says to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.” In other words, He is already holding our hand. He is already helping us through the troubles of the day. There is no need for us to fear. I know, sometimes it doesn’t feel like he is with us, but we don’t go by how we feel.
Don’t Depend On Your Feelings
Our feelings will betray us. We go by what the Word of God tells us. God will never betray us, or let us down. Never. We call out to Him, and He is there for us. Not just in the bad times though. We want God to take our hand in the good times too. We want him to direct us and guide our path also when times are great for us, because for so many of us, when things are going well, we have a tendency to sort of put God on the back-burner, but when things get difficult, we run to Him. Not that He does not want us to come to Him in bad times, but He also wants us to come to Him when times are good.
On A Personal Note
In March of this past year, my mom passed away at 91 1/2 years old. She, and my dad had been married for 71 years. At the time of her passing, she had been in home hospice for about three months. She was actually thriving until about two weeks before her passing. My parent’s pastor would come in each week to give them Communion. Actually, the day my mom was called home, was the day the pastor came to give my parents Communion. When they were finished with the elements, they sang Precious Lord, Take My Hand. The pastor said my mom sang the song with such passion, that every time he hears the song, he will think of her.
Pic Of The Post
The pic of this post is a hand reaching to God. It serves as a reminder, that no matter what the situation, we can always reach out to God. With the world that we live in, that is a comforting thought. Remember, when Thomas A. Dorsey wrote the song, he was at the lowest point in his life dealing with two tragic losses. So in bad times and in good times, precious Lord take my hand. To take a look at the pic of this post, just click on the “Pic Of The Post” link.
Please feel free to leave questions or comments.