Monday, April 6, 2009

Megan's prayer: Selah's "Be Thou Near to Me"

I had never heard this song until today, but I instantly fell in love with it. The lyrics are absolutely wonderful, but what struck me more was the calm melody in the background.

I was introduced to Jim Brickman, the pianist in this song, a few months ago. I have always enjoyed listening to piano players, and his music was no exception. He plays beautifully. There have been many nights where I would listen to the few songs of his that I had on my iTunes over and over, in an attempt to help me fall asleep. They always brought a soothing, calming peace over me.

Today's song was no different than the rest of his music. It brought peace, along with my prayer for the night, found within the lyrics.
O Lord, be thou near to me.

Chris' prayer: Selah's "Be Thou Near to Me"

Seeking the joy of love unspoken
When I was in college, my then-girlfriend and I worked at the same restaurant, and many times worked the same shifts together. One such time, she was working as the To Go server, while I was on the floor with four or five tables. She had already had a rough morning and a To Go shift was not the remedy at all. There wasn't much money to be made in that shift, but there was still a significant amount of work to be done. Her day was getting worse.

I caught one of her two or three total customers standing at the end of the bar waiting for the food to be bagged up and brought out. I asked this wonderful middle aged African American woman to do me a favor. I handed her a $20 bill and asked that she give it to her server, saying only that the woman noticed she was having a tough day and that she deserved so much more. The woman complied and that small gesture (and an abnormally large tip) turned my then-girlfriend's day around.

I never told her that it was me who gave the woman the money or the instructions. The satisfaction, the joy of that moment came in showing someone that they are loved and cared for without saying a word, without taking the credit. Seeing someone I cared about be happy was very much worth it for me.

I need to find more of those moments where I can seek the joy of love unspoken.


YouTube | iTunes | Lyrics

Catie's prayer: Selah's "Be Thou Near to Me"

Oh Lord, be Thou near to me.

I feel like this is more or less my prayer on and off throughout my life depending on what is going on. However, it should be my prayer constantly. No matter what is going on in my life, whether I'm singing praises or going through a storm, the prayer should always be "Oh Lord, be Thou near to me."