Life is Like a Mountain Railway

Life is like a mountain railway, with an engineer that’s brave;
We must make the run successful, from the cradle to the grave;
Watch the curves, the fills, the tunnels; never falter, never quail;
Keep your hand upon the throttle, and your eye upon the rail.

Chorus
Bless’d Savior, Thou wilt guide us,
Till we reach that blissful shore;
Where the angels wait to join us
In Thy praise forevermore.

You will roll up grades of trial; you will cross the bridge of strife;
See that Christ is your Conductor on this lightning train of life;
Always mindful of obstruction, do your duty, never fail;
Keep your hand upon the throttle, and your eye upon the rail.

You will often find obstructions; look for storms of wind and rain;
On a fill, or curve, or trestle, they will almost ditch your train;
Put your trust alone in Jesus; never falter, never fail;
Keep your hand upon the throttle, and your eye upon the rail.

As you roll across the trestle, spanning Jordan’s swelling tide,
You behold the Union Depot into which your train will glide;
There you’ll meet the Superintendent, God the Father, God the Son,
With the hearty, joyous, plaudit, “Weary pilgrim, welcome home!”

I am a big fan of songs that do an excellent job of painting mental pictures.  This particular song, written in the late 1800’s, does just that for me.  I get the picture of an old steam train chugging its way through the mountains of East Tennessee.  Like the journey of our lives, the train tracks will inevitably take us through various places along our journey.  We will likely spend some “dark” times in the valley or go through “dark” tunnels when we don’t see the light at the end.  We will also spend some time on beautiful mountain peaks as the sun is rising, and everything is right with the world.  The speed of the train will sometimes seem to crawl as we travel up the “tough hills” of life, and at other times, the train will be going too fast for us to sit back and enjoy the scenery.  As this song reminds us, the keys are to be heading in the right direction and having Christ as our Conductor.  Psalm 48:14 tells us “For this God is our God for ever and ever; He will be our guide even to the end.”  The author speaks confidently in the chorus when she states “Blessed Savior, Thou will guide us til we reach that blissful shore.”  I am glad today that I have a Conductor who knows where I am headed, has a destination mapped out for me, and who has traveled the path before me.  Aren’t you?

Couple of comments on the lyrics:

• “Never falter, never quail” – When I first read this line, the “quail” really threw me off.  I am familiar with the bird, but I wasn’t familiar with the verb – quail.  “To quail” means “to draw back, as with fear or pain.”  Isn’t that how we often face challenges in our lives?  We tend to drawback in fear rather than step out in faith.  One of the great benefits of the Bible is that we have true stories of people like us who, during difficult times, hold to their faith.  Men and women of faith who weren’t perfect, who had their issues, but who had a confidence in God that allowed them to not “quail.”  My prayer is that I will be that kind of man, and that I will have that kind of faith.
• “Grades of trial” – I thought the phrasing here was interesting.  In life, sometimes we face challenges that seem to get more and more difficult.  We endure a test or tribulation, and it is followed on by another, more difficult challenge.  I was reminded of Paul’s words in Romans 5 “but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”  Sometimes these “grades of trial” are producing in us the things the Lord wants developed – patience, perseverance, endurance, faith, and hope.  However, these things are developed only by going through the process.
• “Bridge of strife” – Have you ever traveled along a tumultuous river with lots of rapids?  For those in the Cleveland area, driving along the Ocoee river when the water is at full release is what I am referring to.  You watch the river and wonder, “How could anyone cross that river?”  The answer is you can’t.  You need a bridge to cross rivers like that.  Maybe on your “journey on the train”, you are winding along a tumultuous river.  You see lots of problems ahead and don’t know how you are going to get through them.  What you can’t see is the bridge that God has provided that will take you over the river.  God has promised to not put upon us anything we cannot bear, so during those times of strife, I encourage you to look for the bridge because you can be confident He will provide one.

Do you remember the children’s story about the little engine that could?  It is a story about hard work and optimism.  The phrase that the little engine repeated over and over was “I think I can—I think I can.”  This hymn reminded me of that children’s story, and the “I think I can” mindset.  In Philippians, Paul wrote about an “I know I can” mindset.  In Philippians 4:13, he reminded us by writing “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”  The verse doesn’t say we can do all things on our own, through our own strength.  But through Christ who gives us strength, we can do all things.  We can endure trials and tribulations – through His strength.  We will overcome this world – through His strength.  And we can trust Him that we will reach that “blissful shore” – through His strength.