He Hideth My Soul

Over a decade ago, (doesn't that make me sound a little more shall we say, mature? p) a good friend of mine and I went on a holiday. We filled her little car with our bags, she grabbed a handful CD's, and we were off. In hindsight, my friend needn't have brought a handful CD's since we listened to one and one only, the entire road trip. On that CD was the song I have decided to use as my quote of the week. That was the song my friend and I both particularly enjoyed listening to on that trip.

We did lots of exploring and we even visited some members of my rather large family. We also went to some caves in Collingwood, Ontario. The caves weren't as "cavish" as we naively expected. We were thinking more along the lines of Carlsbad Caverns, hah! However, while not as dark, deep or scary as we'd hoped, they were interesting and we learned a little about how the native people used them. There was one part of these caves in which there seemed to be a crevice in the rocks. Really, it was just a perfect place for one small person to squeeze into and hide. As a looked at that 'cleft', the strains of the following hymn filled my mind. The story is not done yet....

A wonderful Saviour is Jesus my Lord,

A wonderful Saviour to me;

He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock,

Where rivers of pleasure I see.

A wonderful Saviour is Jesus my Lord--

He taketh my burden away;

He holdeth me up and I shall not be moved,

He giveth me strength as my day.

With numberless blessings each moment He crowns,

And, filled with His fullness divine,

I sing in my rapture, "O glory to God

For such a Redeemer as mine!"

When clothed in His brightness transported I rise,

To meet Him in clouds of the sky,

His perfect salvation, His wonderful love,

I'll shout with the millions on high.

He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock

That shadows a dry, thirsty land;

He hideth my life in the depths of His love,

And covers me there with His hand,

And covers me there with His hand.

-Fanny Crosby

The story continued:

We were not the only tourists in that particular spot of the caves of Collingwood. A group of tourists from the United States was there as well. One of the members of that group began quoting the chorus of this hymn in a mellow, resonant voice.

"Amen, Brother!"

"Praise the Lord!" a number of people in the group chimed in.

To this day I wish I had had the courage to go up to these brothers and sisters and talk together about our wonderful Saviour. That man had no idea what a blessing he was and how his words have not been forgotten. Every time I sing this song I also think of him.