Dr. Jessica A. Johnson

During the summer of 1981, I fell in love with the timeless gospel music classic "God Is" by the legendary composer James Cleveland. At this time, I was one of the youth representatives for my church in Athens, Georgia, in an oratorical contest at a state convention for Black Baptists. "God Is" was one of the songs that I learned while participating in the music workshops.

One thing that Southern Black church meetings were known for back then was teaching songs "convention style," that is, we would learn the songs during the afternoon rehearsals and sing them a few hours later at the evening services. The convention allowed children to sing with the adults, and at 11 years old, I was so excited to learn from some of Georgia's best gospel musicians.

This is a fond memory for me when thinking about June being designated as Black Music Month. The observance was only two years old that summer since it was officially approved under President Jimmy Carter's administration in 1979. The jubilant and triumphant melodies of gospel music were the highlights of my childhood summers through revivals, and the '81 convention especially stands out due to how the core message of "God Is" deeply resonated with me.

"God Is" was one of the selections on the 1979 album "It's A New Day" that Cleveland produced with the Southern California Community Choir. It was still a popular track in '81 as choirs across the nation had been singing it. When we sang the chorus during the convention rehearsal, something stirred within me. Here are the words:

"God is the joy and the strength of my life,

Removes all pain, misery and strife,

He promised to keep me, never to leave me,

He'll never, never come short of His word.

I've got to fast and pray/Stay in that narrow way,

I'll keep my life clean every day,

I want to go with Him, when He comes back,

I've come too far and I'll never turn back."

At the end of the chorus, we hit a marvelous crescendo, singing, "God is ... God is my all and all."

Although I had no understanding of what these lyrics really meant at 11, it was something about proclaiming God to be my everything that genuinely touched me at this young age. I had some general knowledge about God's promises in Scripture to never forsake those who trust in Him, and I did pray a lot as a kid, but I could sense that many of the older adults knew Christ on a deeper level. This was evident through their earnest worship and praise. They had overcome trials and challenges in life that I had yet to face.

When I spoke to the convention, the topic for the oratorical contest was "Abiding Peace for a Restless Youth." My mother wrote my speech and honestly there wasn't anything that I could think of at the time that would cause me to be restless. I was blessed not to have "a care in the world," as I would often hear the elders say. My mother did not have any financial hardship and was able to provide me with what I needed. She crafted my speech around what I had started to question in life at that point. This included peer pressure and trying to fit in with my friends along with a humorous reference about not believing in Santa Claus anymore. I came in third place at the state level and made my hometown community proud, but what stayed with me that convention summer was learning "God Is."

As decades have passed, this song has become a personal testimony for me. I now know what it feels like to have God remove "pain, misery and strife." I now truly appreciate how God never left me when my struggles were trying to entangle me in a valley of despair. And from God being "the joy and strength of my life," I now know that as Psalm 121:7 says, "The LORD shall preserve (me) from all evil" and "shall preserve (my) soul."

"God Is" holds a special place in my heart and is one of the many reasons gospel music is so dear to me. Learning this song as a child when Black Music Month was in its early stages of celebration planted a glorious seed of lyrical faith expression, something that I will always treasure.

Dr. Jessica A. Johnson is a lecturer in the English department at Ohio State University's Lima campus. Email her at smojc.jj@gmail.com. Follow her on Twitter: @JjSmojc.

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash