Continuing my review of Michael Card's new record, To the Kindness of God. Previous posts in this series listed below.
- Intro: https://steemit.com/music/@thejebi/to-the-kindness-of-god-an-album-review-introduction
- Track 1: https://steemit.com/music/@thejebi/to-the-kindness-of-god-an-album-review-track-1
- Track 2: https://steemit.com/blog/@thejebi/to-the-kindness-of-god-an-album-review-track-2
- Track 3: https://steemit.com/music/@thejebi/to-the-kindness-of-god-an-album-review-track-3
- Track 4: https://steemit.com/music/@thejebi/to-the-kindness-of-god-an-album-review-track-4
- Come as You Are
- Hymn to the Kindness of God
- The Shelter of the Shadow
- That Kind of Love
- When Dinah Held My Hand / Jesus Is on the Mainline
- Gomer’s Song
- This Is My Father’s World
- I Will Be Kind
- Why Not Change the World
Not often will Michael share a personal story in one of his songs, but “When Dinah Held My Hand” is quite personal. Listening to it, I felt like I was right there. It’s an important song because it addresses the issues of pain and evil. It does so looking through the lens of God’s kindness. The God who showed kindness to Moses and the people of Israel is still in the business of kindness. A banjo and a fiddle start out this simple story-in-song: “She was haloed ‘round in kindness, I was nervous and alone…”
Here, hesed takes on flesh and bone, and the kindness of God is seen on a common face. I’ve known people who shine that way. When with them, I felt safe. Ofttimes, the sweetest and kindest people are those who have gone through deep suffering. Instead of the hurt hardening them, by God’s grace, it makes them kinder, more able to comfort and help others who are hurting. Here we see the art of God’s providence: it will take what evil intends for a destructive end, and make something beautiful.
“She reached across three hundred years of suffering and pain, She reached across the great divide of the color of our skins; When she reached across that empty pew, then I understood, That all the hate that meant to harm, The Lord had used for good.”
At the close of the book of Genesis, Joseph says to his brothers, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20, ESV; emphasis added). What a comfort it is, that the Lord is working all things for the good of those who love him. Whether Joseph’s slavery, or the slavery of African Americans, no evil or injustice of man can thwart God’s good intentions.
“Life is made of moments we don’t always understand, Sometimes the meaning isn’t clear, there’s no specific plan; Each moment has been set in place before the world began, Like the time that Sunday morning, when Dinah held my hand.”
“Jesus Is on the Mainline” makes for a perfect outro to Michael’s story. Three instruments—a bluesy piano, a bass guitar and a tambourine — back up the vivacious singing of an African American choir! I love the diversity in the choirs featured in the album; international, like God’s hesed which reaches out to all mankind.
(To be continued...)