Gospel Principles from the King of England
By JKS
Isaiah 12:2 “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid….”
There is a poem by Minnie Louise Haskins, made famous in 1939 when the King of England, George VI, quoted part of it in his Christmas radio broadcast, which was heard throughout the Empire.
George VI had a speech impediment and was never comfortable speaking in public, but on that December 25th, during the first year of World War II, his words were compelling.
My Grandma, who had always loved literature, recalled these lines a few years later in 1945 in a time of fear and uncertainty. She was divorced, was alone with her daughter, with no place to live, no job, almost no money and no family willing to help.
The poem reads:
I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year
“Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.”
And he replied, “Go into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God.
That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way!”
As my Grandma walked down the street without knowing which way to go, she put her faith in God. She remembered this poem and she prayed. She continued down the street, then turned and found a hotel that was being remodeled. She managed to get someone to let them stay the night, and the next day she found a job and a place to live.
Putting our hand into the hand of God doesn’t mean expecting Him to lead us to where we want to go. Sometimes there isn’t an empty hotel waiting for us. But when I think of this story I don’t think of the actual job she found, or the actual apartment she got, or the actual place that they found to spend the night. I think of her on the street with nowhere to go, choosing to put her faith in God. If God had led her to a different place that night, the story would have been the same for me.
If we put our hand into God’s hand, we have to be willing to quit viewing things from our mortal perspective. The real blessing comes from holding His hand and letting Him lead us, not in Him getting us to where we were hoping to go.
JKS is thirty-five and lives in the Seattle area. Her strengths and interests include financial management, British history, taxes, Shakespeare, Tim McGraw, and her children’s education. She loves to attend the ballet and play games.
Her recent accomplishments include: organizing a playgroup, using a power saw for the first time and putting up new molding, going to an IEP (Individual Education Plan for children with special education needs) meeting for her kindergartener and hearing the principal say she was the “most prepared parent he’d seen.”
She has a BA in History (after going through many majors) and worked as a bookkeeper for several years. She’s been married for 14 years, and has three children.
July 26th, 2006 08:52
Wow. This is the true test isn’t it.
I sometimes think about how blasted poor we were when we first got married. I always say things like ‘we we so lucky to survive’, and my wife says, ‘we were blessed’. I hope I can be humble enough when times are good so that I might avoid learning a few things the hard way.
Also, I have seen your comments here and there. I’m glad to learn a little more about you.
July 26th, 2006 08:52
Thank you for this beautiful reminder!
July 26th, 2006 10:22
The sentiment expressed in the poem reminds me of the first two verses to the hymn “Lead, Kindly Light”:
Lead, kindly Light, amid th’encircling gloom;
Lead thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home;
Lead thou me on!
Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene—one step enough for me.
I was not ever thus, nor pray’d that thou
Shouldst lead me on.
I loved to choose and see my path; but now,
Lead thou me on!
I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,
Pride ruled my will. Remember not past years.
Text: John Henry Newman, 1801–1890
http://tinyurl.com/qpkex
July 26th, 2006 11:28
Yes! The real poetry is in the act of letting go and taking His hand in the darkness! Maybe not even just in darkness, but in just the lessened perspective that is the mortal mind…Mmmm, I’m going to chew on that one for a while…not ‘beginning with the end in mind,’ but beginning with His end in mind, even when we can’t see what it may be…
Oh, my ‘inner Type-A’ shudders at the thought, but sometimes that is all we can, and exactly what we should do!
Wow, thanks for this…
July 26th, 2006 13:23
JKS, this is probably one of my favorite themes to ponder, and yet one of the hardest to implement in my life. When I was single (I got married in my later 20s) and wondering how my life would unfold, I would drive to the Washington D.C. temple (a four-hour drive) and listen to a tape of BYU Men’s Chorus. They sing a stunning version of “Lead, Kindly Light.” That was about the third or fourth song on the tape, and all I would do is rewind and listen to those first few songs — “Lead, Kindly Light” in particular. I would also belt it, singing with all my heart and soul because I realized I needed to trust, but sometimes it was so hard.
Sorry for that aside. I don’t know that I can ever hear this message of “trust and not be afraid” enough. Thank you, thank you!
July 26th, 2006 13:44
Eric Nielson,
My mom always corrects me like that too! If I say “lucky” she says “blessed.” It has made me think over the years and I correct myself in my mind, now.
Chris, thank you. I’m glad you liked the story.
Eric James Stone and Michelle – I can’t believe I’ve never actually noticed the words to that hymn! (Can I use my kids as an excuse here?) Very powerful words. And it makes my point so well.
Naiah – I am a planner so it is a hard thing to give up my own will and not always know my plan. My hope is that if I turn to the Lord while I make my plan, then he will help me make the plan he has in mind. So, I guess I hope the Lord works with my strengths, not just my weaknesses.
July 26th, 2006 14:27
A compelling post, thanks. Some poetry is rich and powerful enough to influence our lives. This poem is certainly in that category, as evidenced by your grandma’s experience. Poetry is a mystery to me. This poem is straightforward and simple, so different from other poems that move me, such as Paul Celan’s “Death Fugue” or Li-Young Lee’s “Every Wise Child is Sad”. And yet, often the most simple poetry can be just as powerful as the most opaque or metaphorical poetry.
Thanks for getting me to thinking about this.
July 26th, 2006 15:41
Thanks for that moving story of your grandma, JKS. And for helping me think once again how important it is for me to have faith that the Lord will guide me if I put my trust in Him.
“Lead, Kindly Light,” is one of my favorite hymns, too, Eric and Michelle. It reminds me graphically of how grateful I am that I am not still striding pridefully without God in what I considered the pure light of reason, but which was really the natural-manmade “garish day.”
Re planning, JKS (#14), I also try to be open to promptings as I make necessary plans in my life. Some of the best church leaders I have worked with have achieved that wonderful balance where they plan very well, but are always open to change with circumstances according to the inspiration of the Spirit.
July 27th, 2006 11:02
john f - If poetry is obscure, I need some explanation to go with it. I think the beauty of this poem excerpt is the vivid imagery of the “gate of the year” (especially when quoted a week before a new year) as well as needing a light and going out into the darkness (Christ is often referred to as a light). Simple and obvious imagery, but powerful.
Roann - Another fan of Lead Kindly Light! Have I not been paying attention in church (blame kids here) or does my ward seem to never sing that hymn?
July 27th, 2006 14:11
JKS, thank you. I’m like Michelle, it’s one of my favorite topics, but so hard to do.
July 27th, 2006 14:44
It is VERY hard to do, especially when you need it most. Sometimes during times of tragedy or pain or fear you can do it more easily, but sometimes during difficult times it is actually harder. You are dealing with anger or blame and other negative emotions and if those you love are going through a hard time it is hard to let go.
July 28th, 2006 01:11
You MUST read Rachel Naomi Remen’s book, My Grandfather’s Blessings. I read it several years ago, loving it all along the way, and then I got to the epilogue where she springs forth with a Book of Mormon reference (she is not Mormon) and also quoted this poem. It was very powerful, just as yours was in the way you presented it here for us.
A snip from Remen’s story of the poem (please get the book from your nearest library or bookstore and read how the Jaredites’ story touched and impressed her–it’s just two pages, pg 375 and 376–and how it ties in with this poem)
“Years ago, a friend in England sent me a card with a quote from King George V’s Christmas message to the British people. Shortly before I received this card, my mother, old and very ill, had come from New York City to live the last years of her life with me. She had loved this card and kept it in her purse. Throughout her final illness it stood on her bedside table. It was there on the day that she died. I have framed it now and keep it in my kitchen.”
She quotes the poem and writes of light, freedom, grace, trust, and the promised land. Using this poem and her response to the Jaredite story as the ending of her book, is a tribute that is soul-stirring.