February 16, 2020 (Sunday)
Yesterday’s blog was about loving the Lord; today we continue to address that theme with a beautiful song, “I Love You, Lord,” written by Laurie Klein. A newspaper article by Lindsay Terry, a freelance writer, tells us how the song began:
At the age 24, Laurie Brendemuehl had met and married Bill Klein, and the Lord had given them their first child, a little girl. Bill was a student at Central Oregon Community College studying Forest Technology.
Quoting Laurie, writer of the song, “When I needed some encouragement there was no extra money for long distance calls to family or friends. I was lonely. It was a dark time in my life. We had no extra money, no friends nearby, no church home and my husband was busy all of the time with his studies. I didn’t drive, so I couldn’t get away.
“The day the song came, I had gotten up early and was sitting with my Bible and my guitar. I realized that I didn’t have anything in me to sing to Jesus. I just didn’t have anything in me to offer Him. I was so empty. So, I prayed and said to the Lord, ‘If you want to hear me sing, would you give me something that you would like to hear?’”
“I started strumming on the guitar and the first words came out of my mouth with absolutely no effort. I love you Lord, and I lift my voice to worship You. I scribbled them on a piece of paper, just in case I would want to remember them, and sing them again. Those words meant a lot to me. I knew the song was a gift from God; it just seemed to write itself.
“Though it is a very simple song, it changed everything for me, and it still is changing life for me. When you are in a dark valley and the Lord gives you light, it makes all the difference, and you keep growing.”
I LOVE YOU, LORD
Words and Music, Lauri Klein
1978
I love you, Lord
And I lift my voice
To worship you,
O my soul, rejoice.
Take joy, my King,
In what you hear.
May it be a sweet, sweet sound
In your ear.