Oh I Want To See Him

Earlier today a longtime friend of mine, Rev. George Arnett, from Southeastern University days, posted on FB, as I read his shared thoughts something begin to stir in me that later surfaced as a memory of a song form even further back in time when I and Denise were freshly transplanted from the Methodist Church into the Assemblies of God. Now, that is another story for another time, back to the memory and song. At first I began to sing the refrain over and over in my head, “Oh I want to see Him, look upon His face, There to sing forever of His saving grace; On the streets of glory let me lift my voice, Cares all past, home at last, ever to rejoice.” The song, Oh I Want To See Him, written by R.H. Cornelius in 1916, was one of my favorites old hymns during the years we were at Huffman Assembly of God in Center Point, Alabama. Denise and I had experienced nothing like those meetings before in all our years of growing up in the Church, she Methodist and I Southern Baptist. I did a search for the song on-line and found it. Grab my guitar and began to play and sing it my style. I was really not prepared for what occurred next. I had a vision. As clear as I can see the monitor screen in front of me as I type now I saw Brother Charles Greenaway on a street dancing to the rhythm of “Oh I Want To See Him”. I was not even prepared for my response to that vision. Looking on that and seeing the joy on him reminded me of the very small window here on Earth I had to sit under his ministry. Taken by the sense of "belonging" like I have never felt before I wept and laughed at the same time! I love my AG influence. I can never call it a heritage, not really, because I did not grow up in that movement. But influenced I was and still am and I am very thankful for those years and those whom Father had cross my and Denise’s path and us theirs. I embrace the AG as I do the Baptist and the Methodist history my wife and I have. God was in it! Over all I have come to understand that the Body of Christ is diverse and yet it is one. How wonderfully rich I and Denise are today because of those dear saints, many having gone on before us now, whom Holy Spirit used to build us up, equip us, and send us out. And the list of friends … so diverse, each one so wonderful. I believe that as Father created each of us He made each a unique instrument to release a certain sound needed to fully express His composition for His concert eternal. You and I, each of us, have a place and a part in His exquisite symphony orchestra formed for the express purpose of releasing our God given sound within that compiled assembly called the Church as He conducts and directs each movement He has composed. Traditionally there are four movements to a symphony piece. I believe you and I are now just over the threshold into the fourth movement. The sound we were destined to release is for that movement. So, Look to the Eastern sky … and watch ... He is coming to the finale. Maranatha. Here is the song: Oh I Want To See Him As I journey through the land, singing as I go, Pointing souls to Calvary—to the crimson flow, Many arrows pierce my soul from without, within; But my Lord leads me on, through Him I must win. Refrain: Oh, I want to see Him, look upon His face, There to sing forever of His saving grace; On the streets of glory let me lift my voice, Cares all past, home at last, ever to rejoice. When in service for my Lord dark may be the night, But I’ll cling more close to Him, He will give me light; Satan’s snares may vex my soul, turn my thoughts aside; But my Lord goes ahead, leads whate’er betide. When in valleys low I look toward the mountain height, And behold my Savior there, leading in the fight, With a tender hand outstretched toward the valley low, Guiding me, I can see, as I onward go. When before me billows rise from the mighty deep, Then my Lord directs my bark; He doth safely keep, And He leads me gently on through this world below; He’s a real Friend to me, oh, I love Him so.