Portals Into God's Presence: Steal Away to Jesus

I remember singing the African-American Spiritual, "Steal Away to Jesus" as a young person. I haven't sung it in years, but for some reason it is resounding in my soul. Maybe it is because the older I get, the more I recognize the fleeting nature of life. Maybe it is because there is something beautiful in knowing that there is a home in Jesus beyond this temporary and temporal world. And maybe, it is because this weekend—for the first time since my Big Girl's birth two years ago—I am stealing away with my girlfriends for a few days of rest, relaxation, play, and sleeping late. It may sound strange to some, but as a mother it is easy to lose oneself in the care of your children. Every once in a while, I have to take time to nurture myself as a woman. And so, however trivial it may seem, I hear the voice of my Lord—as the writer says—calling me to a time of green pastures and still waters.

Stealing away does not always mean changing locations. Sometimes it is getting lost in a book, a piece of music, or staring into the night sky. That said, if you cannot steal away as I am this weekend, I invite you to get wrapped up in the beauty and sound of Mahalia Jackson and Nat King Cole singing, "Steal Away Jesus." Wherever here is, no matter how joyful or challenging this place is, we haven't got long to stay here...

Steal away, steal away, steal away to Jesus!

Steal away, steal away home,

I ain’t got long to stay here.

My Lord, He calls me,

He calls me by the thunder;

The trumpet sounds within my soul,

I ain’t got long to stay here.

Green trees are bending,

Poor sinners stand a-trembling;

The trumpet sounds within my soul,

I ain’t got long to stay here.

My Lord, He calls me,

He calls me by the lightning;

The trumpet sounds within my soul,

I ain’t got long to stay here.