Articles
The Sands of Time
The sands of time are sinking; the dawn of heaven breaks;
The summer morn I’ve sighed for, the fair, sweet morn awakes.
Dark, dark hath been the midnight, but dayspring is at hand,
And glory, glory dwelleth in Immanuel’s land.
The King there in His beauty without a veil is seen;
It were a well-spent journey though sev’n deaths lay between.
The Lamb and His fair army doth on Mount Zion stand,
And glory, glory dwelleth in Immanuel’s land.
The bride eyes not her garment, but her dear bridegroom’s face;
I will not gaze at glory, but on my King of Grace;
Not at the crown He giveth, but on His pierced hand;
The Lamb is all the glory of Immanuel’s land.
This song, The Sands of Time, was sung at Adam Smelser’s memorial service last fall. I had forgotten this until I recently found the program in a coat pocket. The hymn was written by Anne Ross Cousin in 1857. I do not know the circumstances which inspired the song, but it shows that in every age godly people are aware that earthly life is transitory. As life fades away, those of faith gradually turn their focus to the reality of the hereafter. Several phrases stand out to me:
Dark, dark hath been the midnight. There are times when life looks bleak indeed. Here’s how Paul described his life: “the sufferings of Christ abound in us”; “we had the sentence of death in ourselves”; “I had no rest in my spirit”; “we are the aroma of death to death”; “we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake” (2 Cor 1:5; 1:9; 2:13; 2:16; 4:11). Not all days are like this, but when it’s dark, it can be really dark.
But Paul is not distraught; these are the moments when he holds tighter to his relationship with the Lord: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation”; “we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead”; “our sufficiency is from God”; “we do not lose heart”; “for our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (2 Cor 1:3-4; 1:9; 3:5; 4:1; 4:16). Sometimes the darkness of life is fleeting; sometimes it lasts a while. But we are ever hopeful that “dayspring is at hand.”
It were a well-spent journey though sev’n deaths lay between. Life will not have one crisis or challenge for us; there will be many. If we saw them ahead of time, or if we faced them all at once, we would be overwhelmed with dread. But God’s providence enables us to take them as they come. Faithful servants of God can bear incredible pressure, and the hymn is saying that whatever we have to endure for heaven is worth it. Let’s not focus on the distress of the moment; rather, think of the time when it will fade into meaninglessness when we see the face of God.
I will not gaze at glory, but on my King of Grace. It is natural to imagine heaven, to wonder what our spiritual existence will entail, to be curious about existence in a glorified body. However, as our faith grows and the Father, Jesus and the Spirit become more real to us, it is the overriding joy and wonder of their unveiled presence that moves us forward. It is deity that we long to experience – God’s glory, power and majesty. Whatever else heaven may be is thrown in for free. So long as we are with God, nothing else will matter.
