Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: It is only in heartfelt prayer that a man could hear a voice of hope reminding him that God is still on the throne. Whatever else he was thinking and doing here, I imagine he was also praying. Can you feel it? Have you been there in your own life? He sees no possibility of peace on earth or any good will to men as things stand now. His pain brought him to one of his lowest points in life. The Christmas season and its accompanying song are unbroken, the exact opposite of the author’s heart. ![]() The poet laments how the song goes on when it seems life should not. You stand on your front porch wondering what it’s all about when the church bells start ringing just as they did when life was safe and war was not raging. Then, just when it seems nothing else can go wrong, war in your own homeland takes away your last place of security and stability. Your home and family no longer feel like the safe places of comfort they once were. Imagine getting up in the morning, struggling to find any hope in your day or in your life. Whether during or after the war, this poem was likely written when, in addition to personal tragedy that included a war-injured son and recently deceased wife, the writer’s heart was close to breaking. History has it written in either 1867, or in 1863 in the midst of the American Civil War. In reading the history of this song, I’ve found that this poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was written after a number of life tragedies. If you want to hear other tunes, including a newer one by the Christian group “ Casting Crowns,” click the title to view the Wikipedia article. I grew up playing the Burl Ives vinyl album called Holly Jolly Christmas for years. This version has a slightly different tune than what we find in many songbooks and by many singers, but it’s the one most familiar to me. Murrayįor another post on my favorite Christmas songs, I’m including the lyric video from the Burl Ives’ version of I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day. I have shared my testimony in previous posts, so I thought it was a good night to share the poem that came from my new understanding of The One who was both The Jewish Messiah and the Christian Messiah I had grown up with. I recommend the above study Bible, which also comes with some great notes and appendices. Through studying, especially in using The Complete Jewish Bible, I learned that Jesus/Yahshua actually quoted many Old Covenant words as He ministered. It made the “Old Testament” come to life for me, and it explained so many of the words of Jesus I had grown up with. Learning the Hebrew roots of my faith changed my walk with God more than I can put into words. ![]() It came about just as I was learning about the Hebrew/Jewish roots of the Christian faith in which I was raised. You can see by the copyright date that I wrote the below poem many years ago. ![]() I pray it blesses you to listen to the group “Lamb” and their excellent worship music. The above video has beautiful lyrics to celebrate Our Messiah.
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