They Are Blind, But They Can See

If you are a fan of the Christian rock band Third Day, you may have heard them singing back-up on the new Move CD. If you are a fan of the Christian band Jars of Clay, you may have heard them singing along with “Nothing But the Blood” and “On Jordan’s Stormy Banks I Stand” from the Redemption Songs CD. But they are an awesome band in their own right and I suspect Third Day and Jars of Clay were honored to have them sing on their own CDs. Who am I talking about? The Blind Boys of Alabama, a gospel group consisting of some good old blind black men from Alabama. If you have never heard them, you are truly missing out on some of the most soulful gospel music I have ever heard.

The first time I heard them was on a CD called Lifted: Songs of the Spirit that I picked up in a Starbucks. On that CD they sing “Freedom Road.” One of the verses says:

God knows I’ve got good religion – oh yeah
I got it when I was young – mm mm
Well I’m sanctified and filled with The Holy Ghost
The devil can’t do me no harm

I just love that confidence that no matter what, the devil can’t do anything to harm me. As Paul wrote to the Romans, “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.” Romans 8:38.

I have two of their CDs, Higher Ground and Down In New Orleans, but they have many others that I’ve not yet heard. One of my favorite songs is “I May Not Can See” from Higher Ground. It’s a great upbeat song that really makes you want to move forward trusting in the Lord. After all, if I blind man can put this much trust in where God leads, surely those of us who can see should be able to do so. The first verse is:

Some people wonder how I get around
Some people wonder how I go from town to town
It’s not me I wantcha all to see
It’s Jesus Christ livin’ inside of me
I may not can see, but I got someone lookin’ after me

Another of my favorites is “How I Got Over.” I love this song because it embodies the thankfulness we will all feel when we get to heaven, knowing we are there only because of the grace and compassion of God Almighty. If I had to earn my own way to heaven, I would indeed look back and wonder how I got over. This is not the whole song, but I couldn’t find the lyrics online and had to type them up while listening to the song.

How I got over, How I got over
You know my soul look back and wonder
How I got over

One of  these old mornin’, and it won’t be long
You’ll look for me, I’ll be gone
You know my soul look back and wonder
How I got over

I’m gonna thank God bringin’ me home
I’m gonna shout all around the throne
I’m comin’ up through all creation
Praise God right all over the nation

I know my soul need to be, need to be rested
I’m goin’ home, O Lordy
I’m gonna join heavenly choir
I’m gonna sing and never grow tired

I’m gonna thank God for what He done for me
I’m gonna thank Him for settin’ me free
I’m goin’ home to live with God
I’m gonna make a brand new start

I’m gonna thank Him for all that he done
I don’t have this old race to run
I’m gonna thank him for bringin’ me over
God I love you, I made it over
You know my soul need to be rested
I’m tired and I wanna go home
You know my soul look back and wonder
O, How I got over

There are so many great songs by this amazing group that has been around for a long time. I hope the Lord allows them to continue to bless us with their music until the day He calls them home. The love of God that they share can be heard in every note; you can tell it comes from deep within their souls and comes out in perfect harmony. This is the kind of music that makes you want to close your eyes and imagine you are dancing with the King of kings at the foot of the throne in heaven.

So just let me close with a video of The Blind Boys of Alabama singing the title song to their CD Higher Ground. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.