The Wonder of the Cross – 40 Days with the Music of Vicky Beeching
Day 27 – Friday after Lent 4 – Everlasting Arms
To Read:
From the Scriptures:
14 But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me;
my Lord has forgotten me.”
15 Can a woman forget her nursing child
or show no compassion for the child of her womb?
Even these might forget,
yet I will not forget you.
16 See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands;
your walls are continually before me.
(Isaiah 49v14-16)
From Vicky Beeching:
Everlasting Arms
Come all who are weary, battleworn and weak
Come all of us broken, tired and in need
I for one am weary, lonely and afraid
So let us run for shelter
In the Saviour’s strong embrace
Come one and all, let us fall…
Into the everlasting arms
I’m running into the everlasting arms
I’m falling into eternity’s embrace
Where I’m safe
Here my heart has found its resting place
Here we find our healing
And here we find our peace
Wrapped in Your unfailing love
Surrounded by Your peace
So I for one am letting
All my walls fall down
In this place of safety
This child has finally found
So come one and all, let us fall…
Chorus
And I’m finally home, no longer alone
You surround me, all around me with Your love
And I’m finally home, no longer alone
You surround me, all around me with Your love
Chorus
Here my heart it has found its resting place
To Listen: Everlasting Arms by Vicky Beeching
To Reflect:
Adding to yesterday’s picture of faith being as much about being held as holding on today’s song warms my heart:
Into the everlasting arms
I’m running into the everlasting arms
I’m falling into eternity’s embrace
Where I’m safe
Here my heart has found its resting place
Vicky’s words are based on a verse from the Authorised Version of the Scriptures, The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms (Deuteronomy 33v27a). But do try to not read the whole verse which continues … and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them. (Deuteronomy 33v27b)!
It does seem a tad mean to look to God to protect us but at the same time go out and rain down vengeance on the surrounding nations. Sometimes I think parts of the Holy Writ of pretty much any faith says more about the people who use the book than the God they profess to worship.. The headlines of the past few weeks about war in Iran and Israel, Lebanon and The Strait of Hormuz[1]between People of the Book[2] should humble us and challenge us to remember that all people are the people of God.
Why is it that we seem to almost congenitally unable to share the great love of our great God! It’s almost as if we can’t believe that the unlovely are lovable whilst at the same time we expect our own unloveliness to be forgiven.
Would that we would learn to, with Vicky;
…I for one am letting
All my walls fall down
In this place of safety
This child has finally found
Perhaps, because we have not yet found peace in our own hearts, that we inflict our restlessness and anger on others?
How different would events on the world stage play out if the leaders of the nations learnt to ‘let their walls fall down’?
How different would our own lives and the life of our communities be if we ourselves learnt to let ourwalls fall down?
Our Beloved cherishes all the people of the earth and if we are ever to find ourselves safe and secure in the knowledge that, like a tattoo, we have been inscribed on the palms of [God’s] hands we need to own that our Beloved has space for more than one name on the Everlasting Arms….
To Pray:
Jesus,
Saviour of human activity
to which You have given meaning,
Saviour of human suffering
to which You have given living value,
be also the Saviour of human unity;
compel us to discard our pettinesses,
and to venture forth, resting upon You,
into the undaunted ocean of charity.
(Pierre Teilhard de Chardin – Le Milieu Divin)
To Do:
- The next time you see a story about war make a prayer using the three words;
Shalom, Salaam, Peace:
- As Ramadan ends and many people are beginning to celebrate the feast of Eid Mubarak[3] aim to do a kindness for or greet someone who follows Islam. Failing this aim to do a kindness for or greet someone who you find it difficult to cherish.
oooOOOooo
If you would like to find out more about Vicky and her work here is a link to her Wikipedia entry. For a fuller picture her autobiography ‘Undivided’ is highly recommended
Please Note: These reflections are also published on my blog: suffolkvicarhomes.com on Bluesky as @suffolkvicar.bsky.social, and on my public Facebook page Suffolk Vicar – Rev Andrew Dotchin.
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Acknowledgements:
These Reflections, ‘The Wonder of the Cross – 40 Days with the Music of Vicky Beaching’ are copyright © Andrew Dotchin 2026 and may be reproduced without charge on condition that their source is acknowledged.
All of the music on the video clips are from YouTube and are © Vicky Beeching.
If you enjoy listening to her songs please consider buying her recordings. A full discography and other information about Vicky can be found on her website vickybeeching.com.
Scripture quotations are from The New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Prayers are from A Diary of Prayer compiled by Elizabeth Goudge and are copyright © 1966 The Estate of Elizabeth Goudge.
[1] For the current situation in that region of the world read here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Iran_war
Suffolk Vicar 