"Still Standing"

Introduction

AMG Bible Illustrations (Precious Lord, Take My Hand)

Precious Lord, Take My Hand (Psalms 9:9)

Thomas Andrew Dorsey was a black jazz musician from Atlanta. In the twenties he gained a certain amount of notoriety as the composer of jazz tunes with suggestive lyrics, but he gave all that up in 1926 to concentrate exclusively on spiritual music. “Peace in the Valley” is one of his best known songs, but there is a story behind his most famous song that deserves to be told. In 1932 the times were hard for Dorsey. Just trying to survive the depression years as a working musician meant tough sledding. On top of that, his music was not accepted by many people. Some said it was much too worldly—the devil’s music, they called it. Many years later Dorsey could laugh about it. He said, “I got kicked out of some of the best churches in the land.” But the real kick in the teeth came one night in St. Louis when he received a telegram informing him that his pregnant wife had died suddenly. Dorsey was so filled with grief that his faith was shaken to the roots, but instead of wallowing in self-pity, he turned to the discipline he knew best—music. In the midst of agony he wrote the following lyrics:

Precious Lord, take my hand, Lead me on, let me stand. I am tired, I am weak, I am worn. Through the storm, through the night, Lead me on to the light; Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home.

As African Americans we have experienced heartache, disappointment, injustice, helplessness, and disgraced. The LORD has always been there to lead our journey. Thomas A. Dorsey understood that. He wrote this song to cope with his personal pain, but today thousands are blessed by his music.

Psalm 9:9 NKJV

9 The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, A refuge in times of trouble.

It is because the LORD is precious (to esteem, to be valuable, to be costly) that He has held our hands as a people since the beginning of time, and He has led us through the valleys, over the mountains, across bodies of water that had no bridges, when there was no food or no refrigerator to hold the food, when we had to walk to the back of the bus and restaurant and paid the same dollar amount for service but got treated with no class, but today He has allowed us to be “Still Standing.”

Exegetical Summary

I want to explore this Biblical passage from Paul’s letter to the Corinthian Church and from Paul’s perspective about dealing with conflict. How we can weave that message into our Black History moments and characters who exemplified this message in this biblical text.

Tensions

Paul has experienced being threatened because he stood up to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ

Paul was mistreated and stone in Acts 14:5-19, and they thought Paul was dead and they dragged his body outside of the city.

Paul along with Silas was stripped, beaten with rods, and put in jail because their preaching and teaching changed the life of a young woman who was once making money for her pimp, but now had a praise in her heart.

While in Greece, the Jews plotted to kill him, and he found out and changed course

Paul was also sent before the Sanhedrin Council because the leaders of the city were trying to come up with some trump up charges against Bro. Paul. Paul recognized the injustice of the situation and used his rights as a Roman Citizen to have his case heard in Rome.

While on his journey to Rome, Paul experienced shipwreck. And when he arrived in Rome, he was imprisoned for two years.

Paul wrote four epistles during his imprisonment: Colossians, Ephesians, Philemon, and Philippians.

Paul in this second letter to the church of Corinthian understands the weakness and failures of man.

Paul is “Still Standing”

Trouble - Yet Not Distressed

Notice that Paul begins this passage addressing “We”. Trouble has not respecter address or door to knock on.

Job 14:1 “Man who is born of woman Is of few days and full of trouble.”

Trouble :

To be pressed against - Luke 6:38 “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.””

Note: Press down or pressed against means that to make room for more (so that you can reach your capacity)

You have to go through this process sometimes to reach your full potential.

To be afflicted

Distressed:

Extremely trouble/discouragement

Hopelessly crushed

The Greek meaning of the word is to be in a narrow or restricted place; to be in so tight that you cannot turn your body. Point: but no so tight that we cannot move something. This is why we should always have faith the size of a mustard seed.

Leroy Washington Mahon -

Founder of Fargo Arkansas was born into slavery but he did not allow his beginning to dictate how he would live.

He strategically purchased 40 acres of land at a railroad crossing with the vision that African Americans could build them a community

Perplexed - But Not in Despair

Perplexed:

To be at a loss/anxiety; to be in doubt.

Not knowing what to do.

To be in circumstances and not knowing what to do

Not in Despair:

To fall apart

Not altogether without help or means of help

But we cannot totally understand what Paul is saying here by just looking at the word “despair”. We have to look at the preposition in front of the word “in”. If you are “in” something then God is able to bring you out of it.

Floyd Brown-

The founder and visionary of the Fargo Agricultural School was born in Mississippi and worked in the cotton fields. His mother heard about Booker T Washington, and his mother encouraged a young perplexed Floyd Brown to attend Tuskegee.

Brown recieved his certificate in 1917 two years after the death of Washington. Brown would become a Baptist Minister in 1918

While in Monroe County selling books by Booker T. Washington, he noticed that the community of Fargo was primarily Black that lacked school facilities. He decided to return back to the community and pattern a school after the renown Tuskegee.

He returned with $2.85. He was “in” despair but God would lead him out of despair. People in the community would help and he borrowed money to purchased twenty acres of land. (The value of $2.85 in 2026 would be $53.40)

These were the times of Jim Crow and Lynching but Floyd Brown was anointed by God to do a mighty work.

Persecuted - But Not Forsaken

Persecuted:

Hunted Down; systemically to oppress or harass people

And yet Jesus teaches in scripture In Matthew 5:10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Also Galatians 6:9 “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”

Not Forsaken:

Abandoned; to desert; to be left behind

Psalm 9:10 “And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.”

Even though we are persecuted, God will not leave nor forsake us. This is figurative language that Paul is using but it is also facts that he is speaking.

This does not mean that persecution won’t come your way but since God is our Father, He protects and leads us.

Freedom and Rights -

As African Americans, we have been systemically discriminated against. We had to stand at the back of the bus while others were able to sit comfortably. The bus fee that was paid had the same value but we had no voice.

We had to “guess” the number of jelly beans in a jar in order to register to vote

We had to take literacy test and pay poll tax.

Point: We were persecuted but God has never forsaken us.

Cast Down - But Not Destroyed

Cast Down:

To be felled or fallen; low blow; to throw

To be humbled

Psalm 37:24 KJV 1900

Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: For the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.

Not Destroyed:

Cause destruction; perished

To ruin

Notice, out of the four illustrations made by Paul, three of the illustrations have something in common. “BUT NOT”. When we are children of God we will have some troubles, we maybe perplexed, persecuted, or Cast Down, “BUT NOT” as bad as it might be because we represent a Jesus that is worthy. This is the evidence that our God has us Still Standing.

Also notice how Paul shows the progression of adversity. We are first troubled and perplexed (Inner) and then our adversities grow outward to Persecution and Cast Down. When you look at the “BUT NOT” this shows that without God’s power we would lose, we would meltdown and wave the white flag.

African American Methodist - In 1844, the Methodist split in the United States because of slavery. When a Southern bishop (A Man of the Cloth) acquired slaves, the African American Methodist proposed to ban the southern bishop until he rid himself of human property. Literally, the North and the South Methodist voted to split because of the southern bishop.

Conclusion

There is something that we all can learn from today’s passage.

Just like Paul had a made up mind, we too must have a made up mind that we are going to stand up no matter what comes our way.

“You cannot stand if you are not saved.”

There is a saying that “your attitude will determine your aptitude.” You won’t go far in life when your mind is not on Jesus.

Paul says in verse 10 since we are apart of the family of Jesus that we will experience both weakness and strength. We see the weakness of Paul but we also see the Power of God. We carry the death of Jesus every where we go, and it is because of that we show Christ.

Romans 8:35 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?”

Romans 8:36 “As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.””

Romans 8:37 “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”

When troubles come, we are not distressed because Christ lives in us

When we cannot seem to figure out life, we are not in despair because Christ lives in us

When we face persecution, because Christ lives in us, we know that our God will never leave or forsake us

When we are cast down, we get back up because Christ lives in us.

It is because Jesus defeated Satan and He has the victory. That means there is no situation in life that we cannot win when we choose Jesus in our life.