Excerpt: The Pursuit of God, The Human Thirst for the Divine, A.W. Tozer

O God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious of my need of further grace. I am ashamed of my lack of desire. O God, The Triune God, I want to want Thee; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still. Show me Thy glory, I pray Thee, that so I may know Thee indeed. Begin in mercy a new work of love within me. Say to my soul, "Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away." Then give me grace to rise and follow Thee up from this misty lowland where I have wondered so long. In Jesus' name. Amen
Excerpt: The Pursuit of God, The Human Thirst for the Divine, A.W. Tozer

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Day 13 Peace in the Valley

Well, tomorrow is the first day of Tim's high dose of Interleukin-2 treatment.  We are at peace, knowing that the Lord is in complete control and holds our lives in the palm of His hand!  The journey through the valley is not over, but because of the prayers of so many friends and family, we know we are not walking alone through it as the Lord holds our hand and as you all lift us up in prayer!  I found the following information on the hymn that was going through my head tonight.......

"Peace in the Valley" is a 1937 song written by Thomas A. Dorsey, originally for Mahalia Jackson.[1] The song became a hit in 1951 for Red Foley and the Sunshine Boys, reaching No. 7 on the Country & Western Best Seller chart.[2] It was among the first gospel recordings to sell one million copies. Foley's version was a 2006 entry into the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry.[3]
After the success of Red Foley's interpretation, Jo Stafford recorded the song for her 1954 gospel album Garden of Prayer. Because of the rendition by Elvis Presley (with backing by The Jordanaires) in 1957 the song forever became a country-pop favorite. Since then it was covered by: Connie Francis on her 1961 album Sing Along with Connie Francis; Johnny Cash on his At San Quentin live album; Loretta Lynn; Screaming Trees, as a B-side to their "Dollar Bill" single; Ronnie Milsap; Art Greenhaw with The Jordanaires, Tom Brumley and The Light Crust Doughboys for the Grammy-Nominated album starring Ann-Margret titled God Is Love: The Gospel Sessions[4] and Faith Hill, for a concert special.
"Peace in the Valley" was sung by Eddie Clendening, portraying Elvis Presley, in the Broadway musical Million Dollar Quartet, which opened in New York in April 2010.[5] Eddie Clendening also covered the song on the Million Dollar Quartet original Broadway cast album, copyright 2010 by MDQ Merchandising, LLC.[6]

References

  1. Mahalia Jackson at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
  2. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 124.
  3. The National Recording Registry 2006
  4. archives, 2001-period Grammy Nominees, Nationa Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences records and www.grammy.com
  5. Zielinski, Peter James. "Photo Coverage: Million Dollar Quartet Opens on Broadway". Posted: 12:04 PM; Monday, April 12, 2010. [1]
  6. MDQ Merchandising LLC (2010). “Song List” and “Performing Credits”. In Million Dollar Quartet (p. 5) [CD booklet]. New York City: Avatar Studios; and Chicago: Chicago Recording Company.

Lyrics:
Oh well, I'm tired and so weary but I must go alone
Till the Lord comes and calls, calls me away, oh yes
Well the morning's so bright and the lamp is alight
And the night, night is as black as the sea, oh yes

There will be peace in the valley for me some day
There will be peace in the valley for me, oh Lord I pray
There'll be no sadness, no sorrow, no trouble, trouble I see
There will be peace in the valley for me

Well the bear will be gentle and the wolves will be tame
And the lion shall lay down by the lamb, oh yes
And the beasts from the wild shall be lit by a child
And I'll be changed, changed from this creature that I am, oh yes

There will be peace in the valley for me some day
There will be peace in the valley for me, oh Lord I pray
There'll be no sadness, no sorrow and no trouble, trouble I see
There will be peace in the valley for me, for me



Since I'm not really a fan of Elvis Presley's, I really didn't know that he sang this song, but I thought some of the history Wikipedia gave was pretty interesting.  I don't know if these are the exact lyrics or not because I found it with various words at various sites.  Anyway, I was thinking about the peace that God gives to His children, "not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."  John 14:27  It is only when we trust Him completely that He gives us complete peace.  We don't want to miss whatever "opportunity" He affords us to share His love, mercy, grace and glory to others who cross our paths during this time.  I will keep you posted.

To God be the Glory, GREAT Things He has Done!

No comments: