Tonight we sang Stuart Townend’s How Long (We Have Sung Our Songs Of Victory). This has been noted as Refugee Week and though social justice is not the Gospel, it does flow from the power of the Gospel. It is also rooted in the hope of the Gospel. I don’t anticipate a fully just society will be realised by human effort, but by the return of Jesus and the fulfillment of all God’s purposes for the renewal of creation. That being said, we anticipate that transformation by seeking justice and comfort for the oppressed and marginalised now.
I like the way the themes of present commitment to care and justice and the future hope of Christ’s complete fulfillment are expressed in this song. The chorus is neither sentimental or truimphalistic, but hopeful. It seems like a social justice song, but it’s really a song about the full expectation of the Gospel hope.
The lyrics:
1.
We have sung our songs of victory,
We have prayed to You for rain;
We have cried for Your compassion
To renew the land again.
Now we’re standing in Your presence,
More hungry than before;
Now we’re on Your steps of mercy,
And we’re knocking at Your door.
Refrain.
How long before You drench the barren land?
How long before we see Your righteous hand?
How long before Your name is lifted high?
How long before the weeping turns to songs of joy?
2.
Lord, we know Your heart is broken
By the evil that You see,
And You’ve stayed Your hand of judgement
For You plan to set men free.
But the land is still in darkness,
And we’ve fled from what is right;
We have failed the silent children
Who will never see the light.
Refrain.
3.
But I know a day is coming
When the deaf will hear His voice,
When the blind will see their Saviour,
And the lame will leap for joy.
When the widow finds a Husband
Who will always love His bride,
And the orphan finds a Father
Who will never leave her side.
Final refrain.
How long before Your glory lights the skies?
How long before Your radiance lifts our eyes?
How long before Your fragrance fills the air?
How long before the earth resounds with songs of joy?
Stuart Townend
Copyright © 1997 Thankyou Music
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