Whispering Hope

© Copyright 2013 PJ Stassen

All Rights Reserved

Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity.

-          John Flavel, 1630-1691.

   This song, Whispering Hope, written by Septimus Winner in 1868, has surely, along with (I suppose) some pretty desperate praying, helped many a destitute and despondent soul through many a foreboding and cheerless night. Some purists may perhaps be tempted to write this type of song off as “too sentimental”, but I, for one, prefer to enjoy it with the uncomplicated simplicity of a child in my Heavenly Father’s uncomplicated Kingdom. I think that, when we have grown “too spiritual” to (now and then) appreciate songs like this, perhaps we have simply become too spiritual … period.

   The power of God’s Holy Spirit to comfort has by now become legendary. For instance, in 2000-2001, I tried my hands on a little shop of my own in a mall not far from our home.  At first it went well, and business was booming.  But then an economic slump hit the country, and the shop began to stutter and falter, like an old model car that had overstretched its own shelf-life. Some reasons (for the slump) that was posed by the business-media at the time:  

1.    Prohibitively high bond rates in the residential property market (I stand to be corrected but I think it was 26%)

2.    Manipulation of the rand’s* monetary value by a giant (South African) parastatal that exports its much sought-after product worldwide (no names, no pack drill)

3.    The withdrawal of millions of rands* from the economy by one of the largest Ponzi-type pyramid schemes in the history of South Africa. (Again, no names, and no ‘extra’ pack drill over and above the prison sentences handed down).  Again I stand to be corrected, but I think the sentences meted out to the group of offenders tallied up to over seven hundred years.  An acquaintance (of an acquaintance) who had acted as a ‘consultant’ (read ‘foot soldier’) for the conspirators and who, on his part, had been responsible for the loss of R16 million of investor’s money, was handed down as little as a five year suspended sentence, as he pleaded genuine ignorance of the grand conniving in mitigation of his sentence (Imagine how much the top echelons thus must have embezzled to have deserved [an accumulated] seven hundred years of actual prison-time).

*Rand: South African currency

   Nevertheless, with my nerves on edge and stressed-up because I had not slept through for at least three to four nights, I finally decided to call it a day and close down the shop in the morning … I simply had had no choice. Every entrepreneur or businessman or -woman reading this will know the feeling when a business irretrievably fails and the writing is finally on the wall. 

   In the meantime, I went to God and prayed for one night’s proper sleep, i.e. to for once sleep like a baby without a care in the world.  As the writing was on the wall anyway, why not relax and accept the terrible verdict as the final and welcome release from the very taxing private prison of pride, ‘self-respect’ and, most of all, the most debilitating denial? That little shop had, in the recent months, become a veritable prison … with open doors.  

   To cut a short story even shorter, I got into bed round about seven ‘o clock in the evening, and when my head touched the pillow, a phantom-hand seemed to come up from nowhere and, just like a farmer would, in season, pluck a ripe peach from a tree, take hold of my heart and give it a gentle, gossamer squeeze.  That was the last thing I can remember … I woke up the next morning refreshed enough to embark upon the unpleasant protocols of terminating the business.

   This song, Whispering Hope, tells a similar type of story, but in such a generic, universal way that it can be applied to just about anybody’s situation regardless of the person or circumstances involved. (I have, among others, also included Gordon McCrea & Jo Stafford's original recording, although a bit scratchy, in the post for sentimental reasons. Make sure to view the Gaither-version too).                  

YouTube 1
YouTube 2

Whispering Hope

(Septimus Winner, 1827-1902)

Soft as the voice of an angel,
Breathing a lesson unheard;
Hope, with a gentle persuasion,
Whispers her comforting word:
Wait till the darkness is over,
Wait till the tempest is done.
Hope for the sunshine tomorrow,
After the shower is gone.

REFRAIN
Whispering hope, Oh, how welcome thy voice,
Making my heart in its sorrow rejoice!

If in the dusk of the twilight
Dim be the region afar,
Will not the deepening darkness
Brighten the glimmering star?
Then when the night is upon us,
Why should the heart sink away?
When the dark midnight is over,
Watch for the breaking of day.


Hope, as an anchor so steadfast,
Rends the dark veil for the soul,
Whither the Master has entered,
Robbing the grave of its goal.
Come the, oh, come, glad fruition,
Come to my sad weary heart;
Come, O Thou blest hope of glory,
Never, Oh, never depart.

Piet Stassen

eLiterature/eLiteratuur:

1. Scribd Publishing Site:  www.scribd.com/PietStassen (ENGLISH & AFRIKAANS)
2. eBook: 'Evolution: The Science That Evolved Into A Fairy Tale' (ENGLISH)  
3. eBook:  'Bertrand Russell Revisited: Rebuttal Of Bertrand Russell's 'Why I Am Not A Christian''(ENGLISH)
4. eBook: 'Meditations & Contemplations: A Reader For Both Atheists And Creationists' (ENGLISH)
5. eBook: 'Conservation, Rhino Poaching And Hypocrisy' (ENGLISH)
6. eBook: 'Why Darwinism ('Evolution') Does Not Make Sense' (ENGLISH)
7. eBook: 'Names And Titles Of Jesus Of Nazareth (ENGLISH)'
8. eBoek:  'Darwin Of Christus: Suid-Afrikaners By 'n Kruispad!' [AFRIKAANS].
9. eBoek:  'Bevryding Van Die Anti-Evangelie Van Ateisme-Evolusionisme' [AFRIKAANS].
10. eBoek:  'Name & Titels Van Jesus Christus' [AFRIKAANS].
11. eTracts, Christian (Free, Downloadable):  Free, downloadable Christian eTracts for free distribution (ENGLISH)
12. eTraktate, Christelik (Gratis, Aflaaibaar): Gratis, aflaaibabre Christelike Traktate vir gratis verspreiding (AFRIKAANS)

Bibliography

1.  Andrews, Allen (1969) Quotations For Speakers And Writers. Newnes Books. Hamlyn Publishing Group Ltd. London.

2.  TimelessTruths. ‘Whispering Hope’. Accessed At <http://library.timelesstruths.org/music/Whispering_Hope/> [online\ 2013.

3.  IMSLP. 'Septimus Winner'. Accessed At <http://imslp.org/wiki/Category:Winner,_Septimus> [online] 2013.