The Birth of Precious Lord

Topics: Music

One of the most popular gospel songs of all time is entitled Precious
Lord which we will sing at the close of our worship service this
morning. It was written back in the 1930s by a man named Thomas Dorsey.
That song established him as one of the architects of gospel music. The
appeal of the song Precious Lord crosses all denomination lines, and it
has been translated into some 32 languages. During the 1920s, Dorsey had
become famous as a jazz musician, and during that period, he became
intrigued with the thought of blending jazz and blues with church music.
In August of 1932, Tom Dorsey was scheduled to be the featured soloist
in a St. Louis church. His wife was expecting a baby at the time and he
was worried about leaving her at home in Chicago. Later, he said,
"Something was telling me to stay." But she encouraged him to go and he
decided to keep his commitment, so he left for St. Louis. During his
performance that night, a Western Union telegram arrived. When he opened
it, the telegram had just four words that broke his heart and crushed
his spirit: "Your wife just died!"

He quickly returned home to Chicago and learned that just before she
died, his wife had given birth to their first-born son. Later that
night, the baby died. Tom Dorsey said, "I buried Nettie and our son in
the same casket. Then," he said, "I fell apart. For days I closeted
myself. I felt that God had done me an injustice. I didn't want to serve
God any more or write any more gospel songs." But one day he sat down at
the piano. "My hands began to browse on the keys," he said. "and then
something happened." Listen to his words: "I felt as though I could
reach out and touch God. I found myself playing a melody I never heard
before.and suddenly words came into my head.They just seemed to fall in
place."

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.

Tom Dorsey was absolutely convinced that the words and the melody cam to
him as a direct gift from God. He went on to write more than 400 gospel
songs, including We Will Meet in the Sweet By and By, There'll Be Peace,
and Stand By Me. "I learned," said Tom Dorsey, "that when we are in our
deepest grief, when we feel farthest from God.this is when we are most
open to that restoring power."

Jesus' greeting to the disciples in this passage was, "Take heart, it is
I; have no fear."

Dr. Rodney E. Wilmoth, Sermon: THE GOD OF THE ROCK IS ALSO THE GOD OF
THE RAPIDS (Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church, August 8, 1999,
Matthew 14:22-33.