STAND BY ME

Last night for the closing hymn of worship we sang "Stand by Me". Don't know why the music leader chose it, it didn't fit the sermon, but maybe she just thought we needed to sing it. I haven't sang it since I served at Aldersgate UMC in Huntsville. It has a peppy tune, and good words. Here is the first verse:

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).

Everytime I sing this song though I get the image of the movie Stand by Me. I know I know, I am just a little strange that I make the connect from a hymn to a movie. Four boys set out on a search for a missing teenager and have the adventure of their lives. Its taken from Stephen King's The Body from a book of short stories called "Different Seasons" . There must be something in the movie that connects in me with the song, something more than just the title. I haven't seen it since it first came out, I'll have to rent it and see it to figure this one out. The movie also has some great music to it on the soundtrack with the song Stand by Me by Ben King.

Maybe it is my own need to have somebody stand by me with this transition I am going through as a Pastor, mommy and person. mmm.

Here is some more from the hymn 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).

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).
by Charles Tindley