Stand By Me

When the storms of life are raging, Stand by me (stand by me);
When the storms of life are raging, Stand by me (stand by me);
When the world is tossing me Like a ship upon the sea
Thou Who rulest wind and water, Stand by me (stand by me).

In the midst of tribulation, Stand by me (stand by me);
In the midst of tribulation, Stand by me (stand by me);
When the hosts of hell assail, And my strength begins to fail,
Thou Who never lost a battle, Stand by me (stand by me).

In the midst of faults and failures, Stand by me (stand by me);
In the midst of faults and failures, Stand by me (stand by me);
When I do the best I can, And my friends misunderstand,
Thou Who knowest all about me, Stand by me (stand by me).

In the midst of persecution, Stand by me (stand by me);
In the midst of persecution, Stand by me (stand by me);
When my foes in battle array Undertake to stop my way,
Thou Who saved Paul and Silas, Stand by me (stand by me).

When I’m growing old and feeble, Stand by me (stand by me);
When I’m growing old and feeble, Stand by me (stand by me);
When my life becomes a burden, And I’m nearing chilly Jordan,
O Thou “Lily of the Valley,” Stand by me (stand by me).

Although found on page 149 in the Red-back hymnal, I was not familiar with this song growing up.  I recently heard it as part of an Elvis and Gospel music special I watched on TV.  The author of this hymn, C. A. Tindley, is also known for hymns like “Leave it there,” “Nothing Between,” and “We’ll understand it better by and by.”  What I like about these hymns is that they deal with real-world issues and everyday life.  He acknowledges in these songs that there will be trials and problems in the Christian life.  But rather than praying that there are no trials, his prayer is that there is “nothing between” him and his relationship with the Lord.  In this hymn, his prayer to the Lord is “stand by me.”

What I particularly like about this hymn is that in each verse, it first talks about a place in life when we experience certain things – storms of life, trials and tribulations, faults and failures, persecution, and growing old and feeble.  All of us have either gone through, or will go through, these same experiences at some point in our life (if we haven’t been there already).  This is a hymn that we can all relate to.  The encouraging part of this hymn is that it gives us hope during these times based upon practical truths found in Scripture about God’s character and power:

• Thou who rulest wind and water – Mark 4:39 “And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.”

• Thou who knowest all about me – Psalm 139:1-3 “O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thoughts afar off.  Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.”

• Thou who saved Paul and Silas – Acts 16:24-25 “And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.”

• Thou “Lily of the Valley” – Song of Solomon – “I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.”

• Thou who never lost a battle – Although I could not find a specific Scripture reference to God always winning, the whole of Scripture does confirm this truth.  God has a battle plan for our world, and God will ultimately be victorious.  We may view earthly skirmishes as “losses” from a human perspective, but God is orchestrating everything in this world for His glory and the glory of His Son.  Jesus is victorious over death, hell, and the grave, and we too have “Victory in Jesus.”

I was born in 1970 so what I know about Elvis has come from watching old shows about him and listening to his music.  While watching the gospel music special,  I was somewhat saddened.  Here was someone who was on top of the world, but seemed to be tormented by his fame, fortune, and other vices.  From the world’s perspective, Elvis had amazing talent, personal charisma, and must have had a great life.  But in a lot of ways, he also led a tragic life.  His life ended in a miserable tragedy.  He grew up in a Christian home, and at many times in his public life was surrounded by Christian people, but had a life with many struggles and trials.  He reminds me of King Saul in the Bible.  Blessed by God.  Surrounded by Godly men and musicians.  However, tormented in so many ways.

I am not going to pass judgement on Elvis’ soul or his relationship with Christ.  I’ll leave that up to God.  But here’s what I can tell you.  If Elvis was a believer, then I am confident that the prayer of this song that he sang was answered.  God did “stand by him” and God stands by us.  Scripture reminds me:

• “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.”  Psalm 139:7-10

• “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for Thou art with me.”  Psalm 23:4

• “I will never leave you or forsake you.”  Hebrews 13:5

• “Lo, I am with you always, even until the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20

The prayer of this hymn is for God to stand by us.  I hope that the words of hymn reminds you that He does, and is an encouragement to trust in Him and in the words found in the Bible that provides confirmation that He does stand by us.