By Vernalee
This week we lost a music icon, Bill Withers. His legendary songs carried so much meaning. One of them, "Lean On Me" is so appropriate particularly now. As we are experiencing this pandemic, the theme is "We are all in this together."
Written decades ago, the lyrics will never grow old. ”Just call on me brother when you need a hand.”
By now, we should realize that we are not an island. Plucking the strings on his guitar, Bill Withers' voice so harmoniously mellowed the lyrics, "we all need somebody to lean on." On this first Sunday of April 2020, though we may not be sitting in our familiar church pews, we can still praise God. We can thank him for bringing us this far. We can come to him in prayer and ask for his grace, mercy, blessings, protection, and covering for us and our families. We can stand on the ground in humility and realize that We Need Somebody beyond ourselves. There is nothing wrong to lean on someone as that person can become a crutch; a stabilizing force who can help us make it through the day. As they help us, we in turn help them.
Proverbs 27:17 tells us "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." Ecclesiastics 4: 9 -12 reads "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."
There are many scriptural references that speak to strength in numbers. So today, we should realize that we are not alone. We are never alone as long as we keep God centered in our lives.
Though Bill Withers was not a gospel singer, many of his songs (Grandma's Hands) reflected on life and love for the people who cross our way. It is only fitting to step back for a minute today to reflect and realize that we need God and we need each other ... to lean on!
Happy Palm Sunday!
Blessings!