Stand by Me

“Words, thoughts, and a Song”
By the Watchman
Dana G Smith

A short Psalm,

By the Watchman

Bless the LORD,
He is my shelter, rock, and salvation;
He is good to me,
His hand lifts me up;
His Spirit comforts and guides me;
His Word sustains me and gives me hope!
His Righteousness enableth me;
His Mercy brings me to himself!

Yea he is god, he is God.
His blessings pour upon his children,
Seek the Lord all ye meek of the earth.
Follow this God in whom is Salvation,
Listen and be wise,
Stay your lips and be silent,
For the LORD speaks:
“I AM” Saith my God,
“My Glory shall fill the earth”
Bless ye the LORD,
Bless his Holy name,

Thoughts

by the Watchman

Today as I thought, studied, and continued to meditate on God’s Word I wanted to tell you about one of my favorite songs. The song sung by Tennessee Ernie Ford, is called “Stand by ME” is one of my old tyme fav’s.

The song was written by a black Methodist minister by the name of Charles A Tindley circa 1905. It appears in the Methodist Hymnal as number 512. Now although my family were Methodist’s, I do not remember it from my youth. This song became a favorite after I became truly ‘Born Again’ and came to follow the LORD with my whole heart.

Here is a stanza of the song:
When the storms of life are raging, stand by me;
When the world is tossing me, like a ship upon the sea,
Thou who rulest wind and water, stand by me.

Charles Tindley died in 1933 during the depression era and surely came to know and understand the depth of his song ‘Stand by me’. He has been called one of the founding fathers of African American Gospel music.

Yet for many Holy Spirit Anointed songs, they came out of a heart that has known heartache and suffering. He was born of slave parents and his mother died when he was four. Later at age five his father and him were separated. On his own the task to read and write became a reality and by age 17 was fluent in both. He later moved to Philly and became a janitor at a church. While there the LORD was moving upon him and he took correspondence courses from the Boston University School of Theology.

Tindley later became ordained and served as a pastor to several congregations before his Pastoral at Calvary Methodist Episcopal church in 1902. He served there for over 30 years. It was later renamed Tindley Timple Methodist church in 1924. At the time of his death the church at approximately 12,500 members of all races in it.

Below is a summation of the song and how it drew from the real life of Tindley and the people he knew!

Life was not easy for many members of Tindley’s congregation during the industrial revolution of the northeastern United States at the turn of the 20th century. The opening stanza of this comforting hymn draws upon images from a narrative found in three of the Gospels in which Christ rebukes the winds and stills the raging waters.

Later stanzas painted a realistic picture of life’s struggles through apocalyptic references such as “in the midst of tribulation,” the “host of hell assail,” and “in the midst of persecution.”

In the final stanza, “Stand by Me” ultimately provides the assurance that Christ has the power to overcome all suffering on earth. Comfort will finally come as we approach “chilly Jordan” though Christ, the “Lily of the Valley.”

Echoes from another of Tindley’s gospel songs helped to galvanize Americans in their struggle for justice. “I’ll Overcome Some Day” inspired the most famous song of the civil-rights movement, “We Shall Overcome.”

A Song,

By Charles A Tindley

Psalm 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

Words and Music: Charles A. Tindley, 1905.

When the storms of life are raging,
Stand by me (stand by me);
When the storms of life are raging,
Stand by me (stand by me);
When the world is tossing me
Like a ship upon the sea
Thou Who rulest wind and water,
Stand by me (stand by me).

In the midst of tribulation,
Stand by me (stand by me);
In the midst of tribulation,
Stand by me (stand by me);
When the hosts of hell assail,
And my strength begins to fail,
Thou Who never lost a battle,
Stand by me (stand by me).

In the midst of faults and failures,
Stand by me (stand by me);
In the midst of faults and failures,
Stand by me (stand by me);
When I do the best I can,
And my friends misunderstand,
Thou Who knowest all about me,
Stand by me (stand by me).

In the midst of persecution,
Stand by me (stand by me);
In the midst of persecution,
Stand by me (stand by me);
When my foes in battle array
Undertake to stop my way,
Thou Who savèd Paul and Silas,
Stand by me (stand by me).

When I’m growing old and feeble,
Stand by me (stand by me);
When I’m growing old and feeble,
Stand by me (stand by me);
When my life becomes a burden,
And I’m nearing chilly Jordan,
O Thou “Lily of the Valley,”
Stand by me (stand by me).