How Long?

 February 6, 2024

I met George Beverly Shea years ago. His brother was the sociology professor at Houghton College. One evening, I went to his brother’s home to deliver a term paper, and when I knocked on the door, Bev (as Billy Graham called him) answered. For some reason, I mentioned that I was engaged to be married, and he immediately gave me an engagement gift for Linda—a butterscotch candy. We kept it for years after we were married. It disappeared one day; we never figured out if someone ate it, or it just got misplaced.

Shea was known for his song, “I’d Rather Have Jesus,” but tonight another of his songs comes to mind: “How Long Has it Been.”

How long has it been since you talked with the Lord

And told him your heart's hidden secrets

How long since you prayed 

How long since you stayed

On your knees till the light shone through

How long has it been since your mind felt at ease

How long since your heart knew no burden

Can you call him your friend 

How long has it been since you knew that he cared for you?

How long has it been since you knelt by your bed 

And prayed to the Lord up in heaven

How long since you knew that he'd answer you

And would keep you the long night through

How long has it been since you woke with the dawn 

And felt that the day's worth the living

Can you call him your friend 

How long has it been since you knew that he cared for you?

We American Christians are often in danger of being swallowed up by our culture that is so obsessed with progress, with growing bigger and better that we imagine that the Kingdom of God is built by our efforts. We give lip service to God’s rule, but act as if God can do nothing apart from us, when in fact, it’s the other way around. I know that I have often been guilty of failing to take a Sabbath. “There is stuff that I need to get done,” has been my excuse for disobeying the Fourth Commandment. 

Maybe we would get more done if we weren’t so worn out by our ceaseless activity. Maybe we would actually enjoy our relationship with God our Father. Maybe life would be less stressful if we simply acknowledged that God is God, and not ourselves. So the question remains: How long has it been?