God be with you till we meet again

A white minister who was to become president of a great African-American University picked up a dictionary in his study at the First Congregational Church, Washington, D.C. He thumbed through the pages until he found what he wanted and then made some notes on a pad at his side: “Farewell-fare thee well. Wherever you go, whatever you do, however, circumstances affect you, may you fare well.” Another volume furnished an interpretation of the slang expression “So Long” and hinted that it was possibly an English corruption of the Islamic greeting, “Salaam Alaikum,” which means “Peace be with you.” Noting that the French farewell, “Adieu” and “Au Revoir,” means “Till we meet again,” he then looked up the word “Goodbye.” He jotted down these notes: “Goodbye-God be with you. Can God go with everyone? Suppose they don’t want Him to go with them? Is this not a parting word for Christians only?”
With that, he looked up the various “Farewells” in the New Testament and found these references: Acts 15:29, “Fare ye well”; Acts 23:30, “Farewell.” From the original Greek, he discovered that these words have a wide variety of meanings, including “God make you strong; be strong; be well; be firm; enjoy good health; rejoice; be joyful and be full of joy.”
Since his Sunday evening congregations were growing, the resourceful pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Eames Rankin (1828-1904), featured evangelistic singing. He had already edited a book of gospel songs two years earlier, “Gospel Temperance Hymnal,” having been published in 1878. Even before that, some of his original hymns had been included in “Songs of the New Life,” published in 1869.
This particular Sunday night in 1880, he wanted to close the service with a farewell hymn. The only good one in the standard hymnals was John Fawcett’s “Blest Be the Tie that Binds.” But Rankin wanted something different, more of a lilting gospel song than a dignified stately hymn. Not finding what he wanted, and with the results of his recent study of the dictionary and the Bible in his mind, he sat down and wrote the first stanza of his own “benediction hymn;”
God be with you till we meet again,
By His counsel’s guide, uphold you;
With His sheep securely fold you;
God be with you till we meet again.
He sent the words to two musicians, asking them to try their hand at composing an appropriate tune for the stanza and chorus: “Till we meet at Jesus’ feet, God be with you till we meet again.”
The tune that suited him and seemed to express the spirit of the words was sent in by William Gould Tomer, at that time a school teacher in Carpentersville, N.J. The music so pleased the poet that he wrote seven additional stanzas to complete his new hymn. It is interesting to note that Mr. Tomer had been at one time on the staff of General Oliver Otis Howard, after whom the great African-American institution of higher education, Howard University, in Washington, D.C., is named. Later, Dr. Rankin (himself) was to serve as President of this University for seven years.
Dr. John W. Bischoff, a blind organist of the author’s church, revised the new tune slightly, and it was sung for the first time by the poet’s Sunday night congregation in his own church.
It is strange that a hymn so simple that of its sixteen lines, eight contain the same phrase, “God be with you till we meet again,” should have such a hold on the affections of Christian folk. But, for good or ill, it has, and, with or without the “Chorus,” it is sung Sunday after Sunday as a parting hymn and as a “Christian goodbye.” It was first published the year of its composition in Gospel Bells,” a collection of hymns and songs edited by the pastor, his organist, and his Sunday School Superintendent, is fitting for an age which says “Thanks” when it means “Thank you” to be reminded that every time it says “Goodbye” it is saying a prayer, “God be with you.”
This is Rev Dr. Wm. Rocky Brown, 3rd, letting you know that GOD and I Love you, and we approve this message because we want to motivate your mind, body & soul. So be happy and enjoy the blessings of The LORD today, my friend! Please subscribe to my website to receive these messages daily at http://www.yourspiritualmotivation.com. You can also buy my publication: “800 SAYINGS BY OLD FOLKS WHO RAISED US,” from Amazon.com or www.wmrockybrown3rd.com or by emailing wmrocbe@aol.com or by calling 215-480-5333. The cost is $20.00 s/h included.
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