Even a Fool

Isaiah 35:8 ESV

And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it.

It shall belong to those who walk on the way; even if they are fools, they shall not go astray.

“Who is doing family worship?” was the question put to the men’s Sunday School class. We had been going covering the book Family Shepherds by Voddie Baucham and in the open hearted but less than tactful manner that came naturally to the teacher, the question was put to the class, after having admitted he had never even heard of such a thing. The book had defined the basics of family worship as: scripture is read, a song is sung, and prayer is given. After we had this definition, I was able to sheepishly raise my hand, with a few other saints. On more than one occasion in my life I have stumbled upon God’s grace working such that this verse declaring the blest final state of creation and “the Way of Holiness” makes me stand and rejoice that this fool could be so guided!

The music wasn’t much to my liking. For the majority of my upbringing my family had gotten up and went to the early service. The service where the up-and-coming church would ask those that loved their hymnal to go so that new songs could be tried in the main service where those not so dedicated could casually get up on Sunday morning to attend the 10:45 service. Yet, it was a faithful group of older saints who loved the songs they had known since childhood and sang with gusto and joy such that the pleasure of the Hymn book was conveyed to at least one more generation. The memory of learning to read words and notes from this book next to my father as his big fingers would go from word to word singing in his deep base, accented by the deep rumble of the pipe organ filling the room with its joyful sound. But for all of my love of such things God had moved. Refusing to choose our church based on music Kelly and I found a church of joyful saints that sang songs of a more modern variety. This brought sorrow and frustration to me that pressed me to action.

My Children needed to know the old songs. They needed to feel the love and joy that comes from the Hymns that have been sung for a century or more. And so, pressed on by my discontent, I bought two Baptist Hymnals (now eight) and we would sit down with our three-year-old and newborn to sing a couple hymns every night, read a short scripture and pray. A fool’s love for the old songs he was raised with being passed on to his children had me blundering into family worship. Passing my faith and loves onto my children simply because I didn’t care for the music being sung at church, set the pattern in our lives that has endured for eleven years now. Not because I was wise, theologically astute, or convicted by my children’s need, but because God will use even my childish frustrations to help me grow in my faith.

This last Lord’s Day we sang a song I had never sung before, “My Only Comfort”, I had found it in a presbyterian hymnal. It required more expertise and practice from the leaders than we are used to because the words weren’t written to be sung. The words were written to be known. They were put to music to assist us in memorizing the great truth of our comfort. Taking the first question of the Heidelberg Catechism and making it into a Hymn for us to sing. It is not due to our wisdom, foresight, or training that we stay in the way. Our assurance does not come from the disciplined Christian training we received from the sweet old ladies on Sunday morning with their flannelgraphs. The providential hand of God has “hemmed us in behind and before” he “has laid his hand upon” us (Psalm 139:5), his “word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105), and our hope is in him who holds us and sustains us. His care and love for his people is such that The Way we are upon is so firm, sure, and well-constructed that even a fool couldn’t get lost! What a comfort for those of us who are often foolish!

Cruce, Dum Spiro, Fido

What is thy only comfort in life and death?

That I with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Savior Jesus Christ; who, with His precious blood, hath fully satisfied for all my sins, and delivered me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly father, not a a hair can fall from my head; yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, and therefore, by His Holy Spirit, he also assures me of eternal life, and makes me sincerely willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto Him.