Is Not This The Land Of Beulah?

This afternoon I am rejoicing in the godly heritage that I have. For our afternoon service at our church, we had a “Singspiration” as we do every second Sunday of the month. This time we turned the benches around so that we were facing each other, and split into our four parts, soprano, alto, tenor, and bass. The singing was just glorious and I realized again what rich heritage of Godly, inspirational music we have and often take for granted. The one song really touched me because it reminded me of the person who I first heard sing it. His name is Keith Yates, (more affectionately know as “Bear”) and he sang it for us one Sunday morning when he was visiting our church. Bear was born premature as one of a set of twins. The nurse made mistake in the amount of oxygen she put into his incubator and he became blind. His mother did not want to deal with a blind child and put him up for the state to take care of. Over the next 18 years, he was bumped around from one foster home to the next with the longest stint of 3 years being spent at a home run by either conservative Baptist or Mennonite people, I forget which. It was there that he found Jesus and developed a deep love for the great hymns of the faith. To this day he can sing more of the songs in our traditional songbooks than I can and recognizes most of all of them. I won’t go into his entire story but about ten years ago, he found his mother and placed a call to her. She told him that she didn’t need him then and still doesn’t now. His father would often come around and steal from Bear when times where tough. Yet thru it all, Bear has kept a wonderful attitude towards the Savior and still trusts people. He Stood in our church and sang this song:

I am dwelling on the mountain, where the golden sunlight gleams
O’er a land whose wondrous beauty, far exceeds my fondest dreams;
Where the air is pure, celestial, laden with the breath of flow’rs,
They are blooming by the fountain, ’neath the amaranthine bow’rs.

Refrain: Is not this the land of Beulah? Blessed, blessed land of light,
Where the flowers bloom forever, and the sun is always bright!

I can see far down the mountain, where I wandered weary years,
Often hindered in my journey by the ghosts of doubts and fears;
Broken vows and disappointments, thickly sprinkled all the way,
But the Spirit led, unerring, to the land I hold today.

I am drinking at the fountain, where I ever would abide;
For I’ve tasted life’s pure river, and my soul is satisfied;
There’s no thirsting for life’s pleasures, nor adorning, rich and gay,
For I’ve found a richer treasure, one that fadeth not away.

Tell me not of heavy crosses, nor of burdens hard to bear,
For I’ve found this great salvation, makes each burden light appear;
And I love to follow Jesus, gladly counting all but dross,
Worldly honors all forsaking, for the glory of the cross.

Oh, the cross has wondrous glory! Oft I’ve proved this to be true;
When I’m in the way so narrow, I can see a pathway through;
And how sweetly Jesus whispers: “Take the cross, thou need’st not fear,
For I’ve tried the way before thee,” and the glory lingers near.

Oh to be there when Bear open his eyes for the first time and sees JESUS! He whom he trusted tho he could not see, and followed, tho painful that may be.
So many times I lose sight of the Savior. Not because I’ve lost my sight, but because I’ve changed my focus on Him who gave me sight.
Can I, can you sing this song with Bear? Can I truly say, “…there’s no thirsting or life’s pleasures?” Or, “…worldly honors all forsaking, for the glory of the cross?" I pray that I can, for one day we all shall.