By Vernalee
Last year, 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. With the challenges posed by the pandemic, most of us by now have realized - "We are all in this together."
Written decades ago, the lyrics of “Lean on me” will never grow old. Plucking the strings on his guitar, Bill Withers' voice so harmoniously mellowed the lyrics, “Just call on me brother when you need a hand. We all need somebody to lean on." On this Sunday morning though many of us may not be sitting in our familiar church pews, we may be attending church virtually, but we can still praise God - wherever we are! 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 and others.
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 (including 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! My prayer is for God to bless me so that I can be a blessing to someone else! Amen.
Happy Sunday!