Have you ever felt Almost Gone? Thomas A. Dorsey certainly did when he received the telegram, “Your wife just died; come home.” He was in the second evening leading the music at a revival service. Home was from Chicago to St. Louis away. After driving all night, he got home. Not only had his wife died in childbirth, but death had also claimed his infant son.

Years later, this is how Dorsey recalled the situation.

“Blues, jazz, the Gospel. I want to talk about the gospel songs. After going that field, I went out to go to St. Louis one morning to work a revival. I left my wife asleep in bed. Got in my car, and I went along. She was going to become a mother, and I was anticipating a great happiness and great joy on my return.

When I got to St. Louie and about the second night in the meeting, a telegram boy came and brought me a telegram. I opened it and read, “your wife just died; come home.” I couldn’t finish the meeting.

Finally, I got home to Chicago the next morning. And it was so; I found it all true. They never moved the body. And that chilled me, killed me off! I wanted to go back to blues.

But, after putting my wife away and the baby in the same casket, I went to old Poro College, in the music room. There, crying, I just ‘brosed’ over the keys. And seemingly the words, like drops of water from a crevice of a rock above, seemed to drop in line. With me only piano, ‘Precious Lord, Take my Hand. Lead me on, let me stand. I’m tired, I’m weak, I’m worn. Through the storm, through the night, lead me on to the light. Take my hand, precious Lord, and lead me home.’

Now, God has blessed. I have another family; I have a wife, a son, a daughter and a grandson about seven or eight years old. And the Lord has led me, and he will lead you. And I hope, someway, somehow, if you don’t sing, Precious Lord Take my Hand, you will learn to sing it. Sing it with a feeling and a fervor. God bless you and keep you.”

Are you “Almost Gone?” Accept God’s gift through Thomas A. Dorsey. “…if you don’t sing, Precious Lord Take my Hand…learn to sing it…with a feeling and a fervor.

God bless you and keep you.”