From time to time, I plan to post lyrics from the songs we sang in the Independent Fundamentalist Baptist (IFB) churches I grew up in and pastored. Unbelievers and non-Fundamentalists might find some of these lyrics quite interesting, and, at times, funny or disturbing. Enjoy!
Today’s Independent Baptist Song is What a Day That Will Be by Jim Hill. I was able to find a video of this song being sung by The Gospel Plowboys. I also found a video of Jim Hill singing the song with Bill Gaither and Friends.
What a Day That Will Be talks about what awaits Christians some day in Heaven (the Promised Land). Is this not the draw of Christianity? The promise of no more heartaches, no more tears, no more sorrows, no more sickness, no more pain, no more losing loved ones and, strangely according to Hill, no more clouds. Without these promises, Christian churches would be empty. The Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:16-19:
For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
If this life is all there is, says Paul, then our lives are most miserable. Paul, of course, was wrong, as countless atheists and non-Christians can attest, but Christians believe Paul is right; that promises of eternal life and rewards beyond the grave are what make this present life worth living.
What a Day That Will Be was one of my favorite songs. Polly and I sang it numerous times in church, and it was a must sing song when we took road trips. (Polly and I spent countless hours singing gospel songs as we traveled here and there with our family. )
What a Day That Will Be by Jim Hill
There is coming a day when no heartaches shall come
No more clouds in the sky, no more tears to dim the eye.
All is peace forevermore on that happy golden shore,
What a day, glorious day that will be.
Chorus
What a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see,
And I look upon His face,
The One who saved me by His grace;
When He takes me by the hand
And leads me through the Promised Land,
What a day, glorious day that will be.
There’ll be no sorrow there, no more burdens to bear,
No more sickness, no pain, no more parting over there;
And forever I will be with the One who died for me,
What a day, glorious day that will be.
Jim Hill was probably best known for his composition of “What A Day That Will Be.” His career as a singer spanned accross decades with tenures with The Golden Keys Quartet, The Stamps Quartet, The Statesmen Quartet, and in later year he enjoyed being part of the Gaither’s “Homecoming Series.”
Jim was a long-time member of Towne Blvd. Church of God where he served as worship minister and choir director for many years.
