You Are Mine
Author: Nancy Ruth Wainwright
June 09, 2020
What do you
hear in your head, especially in this time of pandemic, isolation, death, and
violence? I have to limit or even shut off news and commentaries; I cannot
process or handle the enormous negativity and fear-inducing reports. At all times,
I am grateful for words reminding me of God’s encouragement and faithfulness,
words I have heard over and over, especially those I’ve learned in song. I am
most grateful, recently, for phrases of hymns, which seem to pop into my inner
hearing, to comfort or help make sense of the turmoil. Songs which provide hope
and remind us of God’s power and love; songs which feed us in good times and
sustain us in all times.
“You Are
Mine,” written in 1996 by David Haas and found in numerous hymnals, is one of
those songs. It came to my attention in 2019. My husband Al and I were in
Helena, MT, attending a weekend of wonderful extended family visits scheduled
around my Aunt Colly’s memorial service. My cousin’s wife, Julie, invited us to
worship with them at Helena’s First Presbyterian Church. So there we were,
filled to overflowing with socializing, but also concerned about my Dad, back
in New Jersey, whose health was failing. With my Dad’s only surviving sibling,
my beloved Aunt Jeannie from Kansas beside me, we rose to sing, “You Are Mine.”
I will come to you in the silence
I will lift you from all your fear
You will hear My voice
I claim you as My choice
Be still, and know I am near
I am hope for all who are hopeless
I am eyes for all who long to see
In the shadows of the night,
I will be your light
Come and rest in Me
Do not be afraid, I am with you
I have called you each by name
Come and follow Me
I will bring you home
I love you and you are mine
I am strength for all the despairing
Healing for the ones who dwell in shame
All the blind will see, the lame will all run
free
And all will know My name
Do not be afraid, I am with you
I have called you each by name
Come and follow Me
I will bring you home
I love you and you are mine
I am the Word that leads all to freedom
I am the peace the world cannot give
I will call your name, embracing all your pain
Stand up, now, walk, and live
Do not be afraid, I am with you
I have called you each by name
Come and follow Me
I will bring you home
I love you and you are mine
Tears poured down my face, my heart
and soul overcome with reassurance that each one of us is loved, each one of us
is called by name, and each one of us will be brought home. We will be lifted
from fear. We can rely on God to be the peace the world cannot provide, the
strength and healing we need, the hope, and the light. And then, we will be
brought home. Home.
That’s why it is one of my favorite
songs to sing. Vocally, it suits me, but even more importantly, people need to
hear it, just as I did. If I could be with those suffering or dying in
isolation from COVID-19, what would I say? What would I sing? What I’ve heard time and time again, “Do not
be afraid…” God loves you. You belong to
God. And God will bring you home.
So, sing along, and imprint the words on your heart.
Video performance:
"You Are Mine" by David Haas
Nancy Ruth Wainwright, alto
June 7, 2020
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