Beyond the Hymnal: Because He Lives
“I will not leave you as orphans [comfortless, bereaved, and helpless]; I will come [back] to you. After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also.” (John 14:18-19, AMP)
I remember singing “Because He Lives” in church as a little girl. From time to time, my childhood pastor would burst out into song in the middle of his sermons. Whether the tune fit into the message and was planned or because it welled up in his soul in the heat of the moment, there were often times where he’d start singing a hymn or a gospel tune from his childhood.
Sometimes, the choruses were obscure. Those were the times where we’d all just take in the meaning of the lyrics. But other times, when they were familiar, the rest of us would join in for a moment. “Because He Lives” was one he sang often; that’s how I know it.
But I never knew the background of the song until very recently. William and Gloria Gaither were modern hymn writers who wrote over 700 songs since 1950. Gloria has said that during the era where “Because He Lives” was written, there were many volatile and unpredictable things happening in the culture from racial tensions, to the conflict in Vietnam, to protests on college campuses. As a result, many young people were burning out and turning away from the church.
In 1969, Gloria found out she was pregnant, and although they were happy to continue growing their family, she didn’t feel ready to go through another pregnancy, birth, and postpartum cycle. She didn’t feel her body was ready to do it all again. Soon after, William developed a case of mono and the aftermath left him exhausted and depressed. In the middle of national crisis and their own personal issues, they occasionally looked at each other and wondered, “If the world is like this now, what will it be in fifteen to sixteen years for our baby? What will this child face?”
As a parent of two daughters, I can relate. Sam and I commiserate at times over how different the world is from when we grew up just 10-15 short years ago. The things teens and young adults have to deal with and confront as Christians now would have seemed ridiculous to the vast majority of us just a generation ago. And if things can change so drastically now, how much more will they change when our kids are at that vitally important age of figuring out what they truly believe?
It can feel uneasy at times, holding our precious and beautiful children up before the Lord in prayer, asking Him to draw them to Himself. To protect them and save them. To make us as parents wise, patient, and empathetic.
Gloria Gaither says this, “While pondering and praying about these things, we came to realize anew that our courage doesn’t come from a stable world, for the world has never been stable. Jesus Himself was born in the cruelest of times. No, we have babies, raise families, and risk living because the Resurrection is true!”
And it’s from that sentiment that “Because He Lives” was composed in 1971.
Jesus Himself said that when His time on earth was done, and He wasn’t able to be with us in the flesh, that He wasn’t going to leave us as orphans. He wasn’t going to leave us helpless and without the comfort of our Savior. Is He talking about the second coming? No. He’s talking about the outpouring of His Holy Spirit that would be our helper and comforter after Jesus was no longer accessible to us in person.
The world would no longer see Him, but those who follow Him would. He told us Himself that there would be a sign to us that God’s Word is true and we could trust it. Jesus told us that there would be evidence that He lives, and that because He lives, His people would also be made alive in Him.
We don’t have to await the day we see Jesus to know Him. We don’t have to wonder what will happen to us when we finally do get to see Him. We don’t have to live in fear or uncertainty of the world around us. And we don’t have to feel uneasy in living our lives just because the world is unpredictable and volatile.
Because Jesus is alive, we can face tomorrow. Because He lives, all fear is gone!
So many Christian families in my generation are choosing not to have children. Whether that decision is made out of a financial worry or an anxiety because of the world we live in, we can take comfort in the fact that Jesus gave us His Holy Spirit in order to counsel us, strengthen us, and give us hope. And that hope applies to more than just having a family and raising children. It applies to everything we do and come in contact with. We don’t have to be afraid of living in this life because Christ came out of the grave and is alive.
No matter how unstable this world becomes, our God is the most steadfast being in this universe. We have a steady assurance in Christ that because He lives, those who stand under His grace live also. No matter what happens to this physical body, those that Christ has made new will always be new. Those that Christ has made spiritually alive, will always be alive.
That hope and assurance means we can face uncertain days in an unpredictable world. If you have kids, it means that we can trust God to do as He sees fit with those blessings that He has given to you.
Under God’s grace, live is worth the living. Knowing that Jesus is alive makes it so.
