ORSBORNAGAIN (16)
A devotional series by Major Rob Birks
ORSBORNAGAIN is meant to introduce the poetry of the first Poet General, Albert Orsborn (1886-1967) to a new audience and to reintroduce his works to dyed-in-the-(tropical)-wool Salvationists.
These are not new songs.
However, the lyrics are jam-packed with new life, which may be missed during corporate worship. Re-examined through scripture and experience, Rob Birks intends through an examination of these scared songs to renew the spiritual fervor of believers, and point seekers to their Savior.
O Lord, how often should we be
Defeated, were it not for thee;
Cast down, but for thy grace!
When all the arts of Hell oppose,
We find a refuge from our foes
Within the holy place.
We dare not boast, O Lord of light,
In human wisdom, or in might,
To keep us pure within.
Do thou assist, we humbly pray,
Lest in our blindness we should stray
Into the toils of sin.
Thee will we serve, and thee alone,
No other ruler will we own,
But with a godly fear
Redeem the time at thy command,
Then, with the saints at thy right hand,
Triumphantly appear.
Albert Orsborn
268 The Eternal God – God the Son, the Power and Glory of Jesus
The thrill of victory is something we are taught to pursue from a young age. The agony of defeat is something nobody has to teach us. When we lose, we know it. As I write this, the 30th Summer Olympic Games are in full swing (I shouldn’t use a baseball there here, I guess – too sad) in London, England. For the first week of the games, I was in the states, and whenever I could fit it in, I kept track (that’s a more appropriate term for this piece) of how the young Americans were doing. It was exciting watching those amazing athletes really dive into it (OK, that’s the last one) with everything they had.
Now I am in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, the home of The Salvation Army’s Booth University College. I am working on completing a degree here. However, I have yet to experience the thrill of victory in that event. Today, several of us were huddled around the TV (on a break, of course) sneaking glances at the Canada vs. U.S. semifinal women’s soccer match. At that time the game was tied, 3-3. Being the only student from the U.S., I felt a bit awkward. I stopped watching and went to class. The game ended 4-3, giving the U.S. team an opportunity to go for gold. Needless to say, I kept a low profile the rest of the evening.
Regardless of what country you’re from or what country you’re cheering for, the Olympics never fail to show us clear pictures of what the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat look, sound and feel like. Young athletes who have trained since they were much younger athletes give it their all. At the end of the event we are given a front row seat to watch how they process their performances. When they are standing on the podium, we witness their pride and patriotism. When they are standing alone, we witness (if we can bear it) their defeat and disappointment.
What Orsborn seems to be getting at in this song is that, were it not for the grace of God, we would be defeated repeatedly. “When all the arts of Hell oppose,” we would be cast down, lost in sin, blindly looking for a refuge which wouldn’t exist. But God is there for us. He does offer grace to us. The “Lord of light” does save us from our blindness, and offers to “keep us pure within.” For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast (Eph. 2:8-9)
With this in mind, “we dare not boast … in human wisdom, or in might.” The Olympic athletes can boast a bit over accomplishments (and some of them excel in this area). After all, they are the ones putting in so many hours, days, weeks, months, and years of training to get the chance to compete on the worldwide stage.
But even gold medal Olympians can’t take all the credit for the thrill of victory they get to experience firsthand. The most wise and humble of them never forget to thank their parents, trainers, coaches, country and their God. In a pre-Olympics interview with Chad Bonham on Beliefnet, U.S. Swimmer Missy Franklin said, “God is always there for me. I talk to him before, during and after practice and competitions. I pray to him for guidance. I thank him for this talent he has given me, and promise to be a positive role model for young athletes in all sports.” Four golds and one bronze – not too shabby, Missy.
So the grace to dodge defeat comes from God alone. He provides a refuge from our foes. He provides the assist when we humbly pray. And it’s his light that keeps us from getting lost in sin now and forevermore. So while there may be nothing wrong with a bit of national pride every fourth summer and winter, boasting for our spiritual victories belongs to Jesus.
While it is patriotic to pledge allegiance to the flag, our prayer must be that of Orsborn’s: “Thee will we serve, and thee alone, / No other ruler will we own.” Most of us won’t make it to the Olympics (even as spectators). But we don’t not want to miss that day when, with Jesus, we will know the thrill of triumphant victory, and the artist of hell will finally and forever know agony of defeat.
Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever (1 Cor. 9:25).