Heaven Came Down
“The heavens proclaim the glory of God.”
Psalm 19:1 NLT
My husband and I will be celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary by taking an RV trip to the beach. It should be an adventure! We’re leaving in a few days, and I pray everything will go smoothly while we’re on the road. But in case the internet at the RV parks is not as reliable as I would like, I decided to write my next three blog posts before we leave so that I can schedule them to go live while I am gone.
While trying to figure out the best way to write three blog posts at once, I thought it might be nice if they all tied together somehow. I wrote a post a couple of years ago titled Hymn Stories: Hymns of Revival, but I haven’t shared any other hymns stories since then. So I thought this would be the perfect time to do so!
I have chosen three hymns, one for each week, and included its story as well as a video of it being sung. This time, instead of recording videos with my daughter, I enjoyed searching for videos of others singing the hymns. I was struck by the reach these songs have had. It warmed my heart to see people from all over the world and all walks of life singing about Christ. So I plan to keep these posts “short and sweet” and let the hymns and their stories speak for themselves. I hope you find them to be as inspirational as I do!
We begin with a story about how God uses all things for good…
Heaven Came Down
“As a teenager, John W. Peterson dreamed of being a singer and soloist. He often sang on local radio programs and in churches. ‘Only in singing did I feel competent and confident,’ he wrote. ‘Here was at least one place where I could excel. I knew it, and I made the most of it.’
“One summer John got a job in a factory, earning fifteen cents an hour at a machine making canvas for wheat binders. The machines were so noisy he sang at the top of his lungs, hours on end, making up melodies and imagining he was on stage.
“John realized too late that he was ruining his voice. ‘I put such terrific strain on my faltering voice,’ he wrote, ‘through overuse and inexperience that I damaged it beyond repair. When I realized fully what had happened, that my voice would never again be beautiful, I suffered such an emotional shock that it took months before I recovered.’
“Looking back now, John is grateful. ‘If that had not happened, I might never have developed as a writer,’ he wrote. ‘With my voice damaged, I turned more and more to writing and that talent was allowed to emerge and develop. What at first seemed a tragedy was used for good, and the course of my life began to take shape.’
“Today John W. Peterson is called the ‘Dean of Modern Hymn Writers.’ He’s the author of such favorites as ‘So Send I You,’ ‘It Took a Miracle,’ ‘Surely Goodness and Mercy,’ ‘Jesus Led Me All the Way,’ ‘No One Understands Like Jesus,’ and ‘I Believe in Miracles.’
“‘Heaven Came Down,’ one of John’s most popular compositions, was written during the summer of 1961. He was ministering at Montrose Bible Conference Grounds in Montrose, Pennsylvania. During one of the sessions, an opportunity was given for people to share a word of testimony. A man known as ‘Old Jim’ rose to his feet and told of how he had come to Christ. ‘It seemed like Heaven came down and glory filled my soul,’ he said.
“‘Right away I sensed that it would be a fine title for a song,’ John wrote, ‘so I wrote it down and later in the week completed the song. It became a favorite almost immediately.'”
~Robert J. Morgan
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God,
Romans 8:28 NKJV
to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
John W. Peterson discovered his true calling by surrendering his dreams and disappointments to God, and the results are blessings beyond what he imagined! This week’s Scripture passages are based on the lyrics of “Heaven Came Down.” I have also included a video of the KUSDA Church Choir from Kenya joyfully singing this hope-filled hymn. The lesson in its story is that no matter what tragedies, mistakes, or struggles we have experienced, God is powerful enough to use it all for good. There is no greater example of this than His own Son: Christ came down to save us and fill us with His glory. He healed us, washed away our sins, and conquered darkness with His light. The day we accept Him as our Lord and Savior is the day we gain an eternal future with Him in heaven. That’s worth singing about! Oh, what a wonderful, wonderful day…
“And the glory which You gave Me I have given them . . . “
John 17:22 NKJV
References:
- “Heaven came Down / KUSDA Church Choir.” YouTube, uploaded by 2CBN TV, 25 February 2016, https://youtu.be/YdjFNHLHRB4.
- Morgan, Robert J. Then Sings My Soul, Book 2: 150 of the World’s Greatest Hymn Stories. W Publishing Group, 2004.
Images:
- Light from Heaven featured image by Davide Cantelli on Unsplash
- Beach image by frank mckenna on Unsplash
- Sunset Beach image by kordula vahle from Pixabay
About The Author
Christa
My vision for Wondertakings was to create a devotional blog for "nerdy" Christians like me. I do believe, as Socrates said, that wisdom begins in wonder. So I love to read or watch anything that inspires wonder and figure out what I can learn from it. I view it all through a Christian lens. I believe that God can and does speak through many sources in many ways, even if those speaking are not aware of it. I am not an expert in theology or religious studies. My goal with this blog is simply to share what I've learned as a fellow student and sinner in the Christian walk. My hope and my prayer is that by doing so I may be able to help someone else. In Deuteronomy 5:33 (NLT), we are told: "Stay on the path that the Lord your God has commanded you to follow. Then you will live long and prosperous lives. . . ." So in the words of Moses (and Spock), live long and prosper, my friends!