Sing, Sing, Sing - A Devotional From Anchor HymnSýnishorn

It's Alright

One of the richest legacies of sacred songs in American history comes from its darkest seasons. The Negro Spirituals that arose from the slavery and Jim Crow eras are incredibly powerful and potent in their simplicity, their deep ache for justice, and clear-eyed hope in a brighter tomorrow.

People held in slavery faced some of the harshest lives imaginable. For many, their days were pain and bondage from birth to life. Slavery, and Jim Crow after it, was pure evil in its complete disregard for the Imago Dei (or “the image of God”) in each and every human.

Yet in this darkness, there were sparks of hope in the Gospel songs that were sung and passed down. Jesus gave them hope for justice and for a better future in glory with Him. It didn’t make the injustice go away, or the pain fade, but it did give them something to cling to in the midst of it. A bigger view of a truer story than the one they were in.

Obviously, it would be terrible to compare the suffering under slavery with the pressures we face today, yet suffering is an inescapable part of human existence. Sadly, we still very much have racism, sexism and many forms of systemic oppression with us now. We still have political unrest and vast income equality. We have modern issues like the damaging effects of social media, doom-scrolling the news, and fears of AI replacing all of our jobs.

But just like our brothers and sisters who passed down those old Gospel songs, the truth of Jesus is bigger, stronger, and better than any of the fear or pain that surrounds us.

God created a place of beauty and cooperation, with a healthy balance of fulfilling work and refreshing rest. When sin entered the world, we lost the immediate intimacy with our creator, and the systems He had created with such delicate care began to erode, as well. But that is not the end of the story.

It’s alright, it’s alright.

I’ve tasted the glory, I’ve seen the light.

Jesus is calling from the other side

And it’s alright.

By Andrew Osenga of Anchor Hymns