We Shall Overcome
He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength.
Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall,
But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:29-31)
What can be said about the senseless violence in Boston? I was in Birmingham with His Beatitude yesterday and didn’t know of the bombing until late in the day dedicated to remembering Martin Luther King’s ministry of non-violence. We had just been singing “Memory Eternal” for the four little girls killed in 1965 when their Birmingham Church was bombed by racist extremists.
I also can’t express how moving it was to be with and hear from veterans of the civil rights movement who personally endured violence and suffering and yet remained steadfast in their sacrificial, Cross-bearing, Christian non-violence.
But they were also unsentimental, battle-scarred peace-warriors who had little patience for whining. They exhorted us to look around, and if we see something that’s not right, something that we feel is deeply wrong, then don’t wait for someone else to act. Take the initiative, even if you’re not sure what to do, or if you’re afraid. The Lord gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength.
The conference ended with the singing of “We Shall Overcome,” the song that more than any other helped sustain people through difficult times. As we sang it I couldn’t help thinking of all those who were singing 50 years ago as they prepared to march outside and face jeering crowds, police batons, attack dogs and water canons.
We Shall Overcome
We shall overcome,
We shall overcome,
We shall overcome some day.
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe
We shall overcome some day.
The Lord will see us through,
The Lord will see us through,
The Lord will see us through some day.
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe
The Lord will see us some day.
We’ll walk hand in hand,
We’ll walk hand in hand,
We’ll walk hand in hand some day.
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe
We’ll walk hand in hand some day.
We are not afraid,
We are not afraid,
We are not afraid today.
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe
We are not afraid today.
The truth shall make us free,
The truth shall make us free,
The truth shall make us free some day.
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe
The truth shall make us free some day.
We shall live in peace,
We shall live in peace,
We shall live in peace some day.
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe
We shall live in peace some day.