A Special Weekend Connected with God

I can’t explain it or figure out why. But for a few days, I was on Youtube enjoying a one song concert, “He Looked Beyond My Faults and Saw My Need” performed by countless artists and written by Dottie Rambo. Wow, what an amazing song. I enjoyed listening to at least 30 different versions recorded in every musical genre by people of all races and ages.

Why I was so fixated on that particular song, I do not know. All I know is at the completion of listening to each performance, I felt compelled to listen to one more. Folks, I am telling you that the appeal of this song and its ability to reach across all racial and musical lines is truly amazing. Everyone and their brother have recorded this song. From the song performed by an orchestra with a 300 voice choir to a guy alone in his car singing it A cappella while driving, and every conceivable combination in between, despite varying musical skill levels, all the performances had their own charm or anointing. The miracle is in the song. I wept often. Oh to be so wonderfully used by God. Dottie Rambo was born in 1934 in Madisonville, Kentucky. She grew up in poverty. Look where God took the surrendered life of this woman who came from humble beginnings.

Amazing Grace..Will always be my song of praise. For it was grace, that brought me liberty, I do not know, just why He came to love me so. He looked beyond my faults and saw my need. I shall forever lift mine eyes to Calvary, To view the cross, where Jesus died for me How marvelous, His grace that caught my falling soul He Looked beyond my faults and saw my need.

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Dottie Rambo went to be with the Lord in 2008. I stayed up well into the a m listening to multiple artists’ performances of Dottie’s song (little kids, white country singers, black gospel singers, a jazz version on sax, a version on a flute, opera singers, mass choirs and more). I awoke the following day feeling unusually in sync with the promptings of God. It was Saturday. After doing a few honey-do projects for Mary, I felt compelled to connect with a Christian pastor friend who is young in his ministry. We had not talked in over a year. Rather than calling him, I drove ten miles hoping to catch him at his church. He was there working in his office. My friend shared that he had been going through challenging times and dealing with various issues regarding the future of his church. He needed a trustworthy sounding board. I wanted to interject into our conversation how I responded when faced with a similar situation. Normally, that would have been fine. But a small voice in my spirit stopped me. “Don’t make this about you. Your purpose is to listen and encourage him.” I obeyed and left feeling blessed. Over the next few days, I followed other promptings of God, behaving outside of my norm which proved to bless all involved. It is pretty cool that God used Dottie’s song to put me in a place more sensitive to His lead. Lloyd Marcus, The Unhyphenated American