«And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders» (Luke 15:5).
On Christmas Eve of 1875, Ira D. Sankey, who had the gift of preaching through song, was traveling on a steamboat up the Delaware River. It was a calm and starry night, and many passengers had gathered on deck He had been asked to sing and gladly accepted. At that moment he was standing and he raised his eyes up to heaven in silent prayer. He had the intention of singing a Christmas song, but for some reason, he felt he had to sing the hymn «Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us.»
After the song ended, a man came up to him and asked, «Did you ever serve in the Union army?» «Yes, » he replied.
Do you remember if you were doing picket duty on a moonlit night in 1862?
«Yes, I do, answered Sankey, with surprise.
«1 also remember that night, the stranger said, «but I was serving in the Confederate Army. When I saw you standing at your post, I raised my weapon and aimed. I was standing in the shadows, while you were in full moonlight. At that instant, just like you did a few seconds ago, you lifted your eyes up to heaven and began to sing. Music has always had a powerful effect on me. I took my finger off the trigger. Let him finish the song, I thought, and then I’ll kill him. The song you sang that night was the same one you sang just now. The words brought up many memories and I began to think about my childhood and my mother, who had sung that hymn to me many times. When you finished singing, I couldn’t shoot you and I thought, The God who was able to save that man from death must surely be very big and powerful. Back then, your voice touched my heart. And now I would like you to help me find the cure for my wounded soul.
That night both of them went to the Savior who looks for the lost lamb until He finds it.
What song that is meaningful to you can you share with someone today? It doesn’t necessarily have to be a Christmas carol, but we can make good use of this opportunity when people are more sensitive to the story of Jesus ‘s birth to share the message of salvation.
Ask God to use you for someone else to draw near to the Lord because of a song.
