When Words Fail

My wife, Jean, has a passion for music and a wonderful alto voice. A number of years ago, she was a part of 300-plus gifted musicians giving a concert. One of the pieces they performed was Mack Wilberg’s arrangement of “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing.” From the very first note, the blend and balance of the choir were superb. Their enunciation of the words was precise and clear. At the end of the last verse, the organ swelled and the choir sang:

Here’s my heart, Lord, take and seal it,

And then dozens of sopranos lifted their voices as one to hit a high C:

Seal it for thy courts above.

I am still not sure how the roof managed to stay on the building. What I do know is that for a few moments, I could not see very well. Tears filled my eyes. Even a bit later after the concert, I had difficulty expressing to Jean what I had experienced.

Larry Worley, a former pastor and a member of our Sunday School class, defined a worship experience as “a conscious awareness of the presence of God that brings about praise and adoration.” I’m convinced beyond any doubt that hearing “Come, Thou Fount” sung by that group was a worship experience for me. I could not then, nor can I now, adequately convey with language what I felt in my heart. But I expressed it to God with thoughts that cannot be translated into words.

In nearly fifty years of working outdoors with a camera, I have been blessed beyond measure with what I’ve seen and experienced. Here are several examples:

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The above images represent a few of the instances where I was overwhelmed with what I was privileged to see and photograph. These were worship experiences for me. And the images shot at these times are my attempt to communicate when words fail.

Yet a time is coming and now has come
when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth . . .
– John 4:23a NIV