In 1973, Gladys Knight and the Pips released “Midnight Train to Georgia”. The song became the group’s first single to top the Billboard Hot 100 and also won the 1974 Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus. The lyrics told a poignant love story accompanied by a haunting and soulful melody; it was a song I movingly sang with Gladys hundreds of times throughout the 1970’s.
Fast forward to 2025; I had not heard the song in years, but while selecting an onion in my grocer’s produce section, the song began to play over the store’s speaker system. Immediately a smile crossed my face as I was transported back to a simpler place and time.
Surprisingly, I sang along with Gladys word for word. I didn’t have to wait for her to be part way through a verse and then catch up – I sang along, out loud, in unison, as if it were yesterday. As I finished my shopping and returned to my car, I pondered how I was able to remember, without falter, a song from over 50 years ago. I concluded that the song – the words, the meaning, the melody – had penetrated my spirit and found a permanent place in my soul, never to be forgotten.
Throughout the 1960’s and 70’s, the Motown sound filled the airwaves. And to this day, you can find others like me, who when they hear a familiar and cherished tune, will break into song and recall wonderful memories of simpler times – because music is both an amazing and soul-satisfying gift.
The same is true of the new song God promises to put into our mouth and hearts when we walk in relationship with Him. The God-given song is soul-satisfying – perfectly nourishing and sustaining our spirits. It is meant to be a song we carry with us throughout our lifetime – one meant to impart unmatched peace in our hearts – a song and melody that is ours for the asking and never to be forgotten.
For more on this topic, please visit the Whimspiration YouTube channel “Faith Hope & Friends”.
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