I Must be More Faithful
I am certainly not a poet, but I have made this decision: If I ever write a hymn, it will not have four verses, because the third verse will rarely get sung!
This past Sunday, though, we actually sang a third verse and I am so glad we did. Honestly, I am not sure I had ever sung the third verse of this particular hymn and, as we vocalized the words, they hit me hard.
The song is sometimes called “Lord Send Me,” and sometimes “There Is Much to Do.” The hymn, written by M.W. Spencer, is old, but the message is absolutely timeless. While the whole song is important and meaningful, the rarely-sung third verse really made me think. Here are the words:
There are hung’ring souls who cry aloud for bread,
With the bread of life they’re longing to be fed;
Shall they starve and famish while a feast is free?
I must be more faithful, here am I, send me.
(M.W. Spencer, 1893)
The words “I must be more faithful” were the lyrics that have been at the front of my thinking ever since we sang them. You see, we are involved in a series of lessons at Central on personal evangelism. Sunday evening I was not preaching, but the series was still ongoing as our associate, Leo McKinely, was going to continue it.
And when we sang about people starving and famishing while there is a free feast, I just struggled to sing. I know people like that!
And then to sing, “I must be more faithful?” That really made me think a lot. Am I really being faithful if I know people who, spiritually, are starving and I am not offering them the Bread of Life?
Certainly, it does not mean they will eat of it–they may even completely refuse it–but am I being faithful if I never make them aware of it and offer to help them find Jesus, who is the Bread of Life?
I, certainly, must be more faithful, but I also need to have the attitude the permeates the entire song: “Here am I, send me.” I do not need to claim that I need to be more faithful then say, “There they are, send them!” I need to go. I need to share. I need to be more faithful. Send me!
Who do you know who is starving spiritually? Who needs the Bread of Life?
Will you be more faithful?
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AUTHOR: Adam Faughn
