Sometimes you have to reach bottom, in order to bounce off the floor and fly up into the air. Back in 1973, I was out of work, again, and pretty depressed. I should say I was “very depressed.” My wife and I had a son, an apartment, a car, and lots of bills to pay. I had also rendered myself unemployable as a high school teacher…just too much Jesus talk in class! I was naïve to think that talking about Jesus was more important than teaching Latin or English literature. What a fool!
One morning I was reading the Bible and came to Is. 52:7: “How lovely on the mountains are the feet of Him Who brings good news, announcing peace, proclaiming news of happiness: your God reigns.” Well, my heart began pounding in my chest, because what I read said: “You are going to get through this and you will be fine. In fact, you will do very well.” Words fail me now. I just felt this dark cloud lift off me. I picked-up my Gibson J45 guitar and in a few minutes “Our God Reigns” was born. I had one verse and the chorus. It wasn’t so much that I wrote it as it was that I received it!
A couple of months later, a traveling evangelist visited our church, heard the song, and took it with him and taught it as he went from church to church. It took me three more years to complete the other three verses that made this “Scripture chorus” into a hymn that went around the world.
After the three big Christian publishers passed on publishing my song in the late 70s, I decided to keep the copyright and established New Jerusalem Music to administer all my songs, as well as the songs of my son Daniel C. Smith (DANIELSON FAMILE) and our friends. Wow, has that worked-out for good for me and mine! I think we really do have a good shepherd who is with us, guiding, closing doors and opening doors.
Every one of us has had disappointment, failure, and had our hearts broken. Jesus certainly exhibits that pattern for us. But we need not get bitter about it. If we look closely, we can see how God worked-it out for our good. We have become more understanding, more patient, more kind to others who have been overlooked and forgotten. Before the resurrection was the crucifixion. I never would have taken-up learning how to play the guitar in the seminary in the 60s, if I had not been so desperately lonely for so long. I never would have started writing Scripture songs if I had not needed so deeply the comfort of the psalms of David, who also knew something of loss and pain and heartbreak.
Now, looking back, I am grateful I was fired from that last teaching job. It proved to be the door God closed before, BEFORE, He opened a new door for me. That open door has allowed me to enter into a wonderful world of miracles and revelation. Thank you, Lord, for being such a good, loving, kind, determined, faithful shepherd. I know I am in Your good hands and that will never change.
