God's Gonna Show Up

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Wade In The Water
Wade In The Water, Children
Wade In The Water
God's Gonna Trouble The Water

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We are in a world that seems so unpredictable. Our weather experts seem to only get it right sometimes and even then only partially right. The news is full of unpredictable things. The war that breaks out that seems to be out of our control. The automobile accident where someone else causes the accident that kills the family. The gunman who seems to want to cause hurt and pain. Even the winner of the sports team eludes us as many seek to make money predicting who will win the game. All of these things force us to face the reality that we just don't know what is going to happen.

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Where Are Your Shoes?

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I got Shoes, You Got Shoes
All God's Children Got Shoes
When I get To Heaven, Gonna Put on My Shoes
Gonna Walk, All Over God's Heaven

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We probably know that only the barest of necessities were given to the slaves by the slave master. Just barely something to cover themselves. They didn't have a robe or shoes. Certainly the slave singer was not happy about that, but the singer saw past the present reality into God's future. Seeing God's future transformed the present moment of frustration into a moment of celebration.

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Take That Cross To Glory

"I gotta home in the Kingdom, Ain't that Good News?, I gotta home in that Kingdom, Ain't that Good News?

Gonna Lay Down This World, Shoulder Up My Cross, Take It Home To My Jesus, Ain't that Good News

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The slave singer recognizes that there is a home in glory. That home is good news and presumably will elicit praise in the singer and those who hear. In other stanzas the singer notes that there is a crown in the Kingdom. This is all good news.

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A Little Talk With Jesus Makes it Right

"Troubles of every kind, thank God I'll Always find, that a little talk with Jesus makes it right." 

 The singer finds herself in the midst of trouble. Not just any kind of trouble, but troubles of every kind. Certainly all of us can identify with the singer.

When our hot water heater goes out at just the wrong time, we have troubles of every kind. When our only reliable transportation has difficulties, we have troubles of every kind. When our children fail to live up to the principles we tried to instill in them, we have troubles of every kind.

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Nobody Knows The Trouble

Nobody Knows The Trouble I See
Nobody Knows but Jesus
Nobody Knows the Trouble I See
Glory Hallelujah

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This spiritual is striking in that the subject of the song is "Trouble." But even though it has "Trouble" in it, It also has "glory Hallelujah." What gets us from "Trouble" to "Glory?"


We are all in trouble in this world. And this trouble is greater than others can see. People look at us and see good and bad things happening to us from the outside. The Bible says that Humanity looks on the outward appearance. (1 Samuele 16:7) All we can see is what is going on on the outside. So we look and we see that you are going through something.

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The Importance of Now

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Sinner Please Don't Let This Harvest Pass
Sinner Please Don't Let This Harvest Pass
And Die and Lose Your Soul At Last
Sinner Please Don't Let This Harvest Pass

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There is a strong "evangelistic" mode to many of the spirituals. We do know that some of them were "coded" having a dual message of current realities and the apocalyptic ending. So they would be singing about the end and at the same time singing about the underground railroad that would lead to freedom.

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I Want To Cross Over

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Deep River
My Home Is Over Jordan
Deep River, Lord
I Want To Cross Over Into Camp Ground

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Not too long ago we saw a spiritual where we simply uttered our despair. This spiritual is close to that, but it goes a little further and simply states what the singer wants. There is a gulf standing between the singer and "camp ground" and "peace." The singer states that she wants to go to there. It is an important step to groan over the pain, but it is also important to be able to articulate what you want and where you wish to go.

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Look To That Great Day

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Great Day,
Great Day, The Righteous Marching
Great Day, God's Gonna Build Up
Zion's Walls

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It is absolutely amazing that those who found themselves in the midst of slavery could still muster up hope. This hope served as a death sentence to hopelessness. This spiritual reminds us that the hope is based in God's future action. God is going to do something in the future that will turn around this situation we are in now. This something in the future is that "Great Day" we look forward to.

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A Long Way From Home

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Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child
Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child
Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child
A Long Way From Home

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I love the spirituals because they speak truth even when it that truth is not popular or pious. The singer here is not afraid to state that sometimes she feels like an orphan in a strange land. Certainly this is not the only theme we find in the spirituals. There are times to celebrate the "Great Day." There are times to strengthen our resolve to "follow Jesus, no turning back." And yes there are even times to contemplate our Lord and his sacrifice by solemnly singing "were you there when they crucified my lord?"

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Jesus Is Knocking

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Sounds Like Jesus
Somebody's Knocking at Yo Door
Ohhh, Why Don't You Answer
Somebody's Knocking at Yo Door

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I like this spiritual because like many other spirituals it is tied closely to scriptural imagery. In this case it is the knocking of Jesus at the door in Revelation 3:20. But secondly I like it because the singer has an idea who is the one knocking. The singer thinks that the sound of the knocking is like Jesus.

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Gimme Dat Old Time Religion

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Gimme Dat Old Time Religion
Gimme Dat Old Time Religion
Gimme Dat Old Time Religion
It's Good Enough For Me

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Someone said "honor your roots." This is not to say be totally controlled by them. Neither is it to say that we uncritically accept everything that our past has taught us. However, it does mean to say that our past deserves to be listened to. We go to the Bible expecting to hear a word from God because it is here that we have heard God in the past and it is here that our ancestors went to hear God.

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You Can't Hide

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There's No Hiding Place Down Here
I Went To The Rock To Hide My Face
And The Rock Cried Out No Hiding Place
There's No Hiding Place Down Here

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During my life it seemed there has always been something to worry about. When I was younger the Soviet Union was seen as the great menace with multiple nuclear Warheads pointed straight at us. But the Soviet Union disintegrated and instead of worry free living, we moved into an era of terrorism. If it isn't terrorism, it is weather patterns. There is climate change and hurricanes that seem to get stronger while earthquakes proliferate.

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Someone Is There

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I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray,
I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray,
Way Down Yonder By Myself
An I couldn't hear nobody pray

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You ever felt like you were all alone? The world can be a terrible place when you are alone. I can remember as a young child having dreams about being somewhere where I couldn't get in touch with or contact my family. There is something about being with others.

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Don’t Turn Around

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Don't You Let Nobody Turn You Round,
Turn You Round, Turn You Round
Don't You Let Nobody Turn You Round,
Walking Up The Kings Highway

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One of the biggest issues standing in the way of forward progress is perseverance. We start a bit and then stop. We don't lose those the weight because we cease our program. We don't finish the book, because we allow things to stand in our way. We stop.

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