4/6 Grammy Blick

Sojourn - to stay at a place for a time.

From Old French, sojourner, "spend the day." The word caught my thoughts as I listened to Gloria Gaither's song, "I don't belong." Sojourner is mentioned eight times in the Old Testament, none in the new. But my favorite is Psalm 39:12 -- "Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear unto my cry, hold not they peace at my tears for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were."

Here's David, King of Israel, and he looks upon himself as a man here for just a short time. Like Gloria's lyrics, he was singing a sojourner's song -- he felt that he didn't belong. In the fourth verse he again sounds much as we all do:

"Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is, that I may know how frail I am."

And, again in the seventh:

"And now, Lord what wait I for? My hope is in thee."

I do, however, disagree with the last verse "O spare me, that I may recover strength, before I go hence, and be no more."

I will not "be no more." I will be forever. This is the promise of the Lord -- eternal life. The first time that phrase is used is in Matthew 19:16 "And behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?" Oh, that poor rich young man. And the last time it's used is in Jude 1:21 "Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

There, in His kingdom, we will not be sojourners. But, while we're here, we need to be sharing this sojourner's song -- we belong to Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, given in love -- and the reason for that gift is that the world through Him might be saved.

Everything circles back to the love of God. His love for us, our love for Him. For we are to love the Lord, our God, with all. We don't have to figure out what portion we owe Him, it's all. And in return, we get Him. Fair trade, isn't it?