I’ll Never Forsake My Lord

(gravestone of Damon C. Snoddy)

“I’LL NEVER FORSAKE MY LORD”

“For He has said, I will never leave you, nor forsake you” (Heb. 13:5)

     INTRO.:  A song which expresses the desire never to forsake Him who has promised never to forsake us is “I’ll Never Forsake My Lord” (#484 in Hymns for Worship Revised, #330 in Sacred Selections for the Church).  The text was written by Mrs. Damon Lanara Canter Snoddy, who was born on Dec. 30, 1911, in Smith County, TN, near the communities of Difficult and Pleasant Shade, the youngest child of James Allen and Launa Mae McClellan Canter.  Her parents were farmers there.  Two sisters and a brother were also in the family, and another brother had died as a child.  At the tender age of thirteen, she was baptized into Christ and dedicated her life to the Lord.  On June 8, 1929, she married Selton A. Snoddy (1907–1961). He was a farmer who was from nearby Jackson County.

Later, after the Snoddys lost everything in the depression, they moved to Indianapolis, IN, where Selton became a glass worker in a factory and also worked in a lumber mill there.  The couple had four children, three sons and a daughter.  Not long after their marriage, as the children began to be born, Mrs. Snoddy, probably in her early twenties, penned a poem to express her feelings toward the Savior and sent it to the Gospel Advocate around 1934.  The arrangement was made and the tune was composed both by Lloyd Otis Sanderson (1901-1992).  The song was first published in 1935 by the Gospel Advocate Company in Christian Hymns (No. 1).   The author and the composer did not know one another personally.  Carrying pencil and paper in her pocket and writing on scraps of paper and even brown paper bags, she produced many poems, but this was the only one that she ever felt worthy enough to send to a publisher.

Yet, “I’ll Never Forsake My Lord,” has found its way into most hymnbooks among brethren.  While living in Indianapolis, Mrs. Snoddy placed her membership in 1956 with the Fountain Square church of Christ, where she helped fold the weekly bulletin and engaged in other church-related activities. Also, she was a clerk for 22 years with the G. C. Murphy Co., for whom she traveled some to help set up new stores and train staff at other locations, retiring in 1976.  Her death occurred on July 25, 1998, at the age of 86 in Indianapolis.  The members of the Fountain Square church remember her as a delightful lady whose Christian commitment was evidenced by her daily life.

Among hymnbooks published by members of the Lord’s church for use in churches of Christ, besides Christian Hymns No. 1, the song has appeared in the 1948 Christian Hymns No. 2 and the 1966 Christian Hymns No. 3, both edited by Sanderson also; the 1971 Songs of the Church, the 1990 Songs of the Church 21^st C. Ed., and the 1994 Songs of Faith and Praise, all edited by Alton H. Howard; the 1978 Hymns of Praise edited by Reuel Lemmons; the 1983 edition of the 1978 Church Gospel Songs and Hymns edited by V. E. Howard; the 1992 Praise for the Lord edited by John P. Wiegand; the 2007 Sacred Songs of the Church edited by William D. Jeffcoat; the 2009 Favorite Songs of the Church and the 2010 Songs for Worship and Praise both edited by Robert J. Taylor Jr.; and the 2012 Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs edited by Steve Wolfgang et. al.; in addition to Hymns for Worship and Sacred Selections.

The song mentions several kinds of situations in which we might consider forsaking the Lord.

I. Stanza 1 talks about bearing a cross of care and misfortune

Though my cross may be hard to bear,

Though my life be filled with care,

Though misfortune be mine to share–

I’ll never forsake my Lord.

1. In order to follow Jesus, we must deny self and take up our cross: Matt. 16:24
2. Sometimes our lives are filled with care, although we can cast our cares on the Lord: 1 Pet. 5:7
3. It may often be our lot to share misfortune as we suffer various trials: Jas. 1:2

I. Stanza 2 talks about temptations by the devil

Though the tempter in efforts bold,

Or in subtlety as of old,

Should essay to allure my soul–

I’ll never forsake my Lord.

1. The tempter is the devil or Satan, who even tempted Jesus: Matt. 4:3-11
2. Sometimes he is bold, but other times he is subtle or cunning, as the serpent in the Garden of Eden: Gen. 3:1-6
3. But either way, he seeks to use lust and temptation to allure our souls: Jas. 1:14-15

III. Stanza 3 talks about the possibility of forgetting what Jesus did for us

I remember He died for me

On a merciless Calvary,

That He suffered so graciously—

I’ll never forsake my Lord.

1. We need to remember that Jesus died for us: Rom. 6:8
2. He did this on merciless Calvary: Lk. 23:33
3. Yet, He suffered so graciously that He might bring us to God: 1 Pet. 3:18

IV. Stanza 4 talks about being concerned for the future

Though so helpless I cannot see

What the future may hold for me,

Jesus knows and my guide will be—

I’ll never forsake my Lord.

1. Like the Psalmist, we are weak and helpless: Ps. 6:2
2. We do not know what the future holds: Jas. 4:13-14
3. However, Jesus does know and will be our guide so that we don’t have to worry about tomorrow: Matt. 6:34

CONCL.:  The chorus repeats the commitment stated in the stanzas:

I’ll never forsake the Savior,

He has never forsaken me!

‘Neath His sheltering arm I am safe from all harm—

I’ll never forsake my Lord.

I have heard this song mildly criticized on the basis that it sounds a lot like Peter’s boast, “Even if I have to die with you, I will not deny you” (Matt. 26:35).  However, I choose to look at the song not in terms of making a boastful brag but of expressing a purpose.  I am singing that no matter what happens to me here on earth, it is my aim, my hope, my intention that “I’ll Never Forsake My Lord.”