Tennessee Ernie Ford - Noah Found Grace In The Eyes Of The Lord

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Easter is a celebration of grace.  Infinite, and offered to all, it is the center piece of the holiest of Christian holy days.

The Bible is full of passages about grace.  Indeed, the New Testament is a prolonged tract on the subject.  But grace also appears in passages of the Old Testament.  In fact, its very first appearance is in Genesis 6:8:

7 And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.

8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.

The message of Easter is that we can all of us receive that same gift of grace given to Noah.  Tennessee Ernie Ford song a recorded a great many hymns and spirituals, and ended his 1950s daytime TV show with a religious song.  The network executives objected, thinking that it might cause offense to some viewers, but it became the most popular part of his show.



Noah Found Grace In The Eyes Of The Lord (Songwriter: Robert Watson Schmertz)

The Lord looked down from His window in the sky,
Said, "I created man but I don't remember why.
Nothing but fighting since creation day.
I'll send a little water and wash 'em all away."
The Lord came down to look around a spell,
And there was Mister Noah behaving mighty well,
And that is the reason, the Scriptures record,
That Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.

Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord,
Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord,
Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord,
And he landed high and dry.

The Lord said, "Noah, there's gonna be a flood.
There's gonna be some water and there's gonna be some mud.
So take off your hat, Noah. Take off your coat.
Get Ham, Shem, and Japheth and build yourself a boat."
Noah said, "Lord, I don't believe I could."
The Lord said, "Noah, get some sturdy gopher wood.
Never know what you can do till you try.
Build it fifty cubits wide and thirty cubits high."

Noah said, "There she is. There she is, Lord."
The Lord said, "Noah, it's time to get aboard.
Take of each creature a he and a she.
And, of course, Missus Noah and your whole family."
Noah said, "Lord, it's getting mighty dark."
The Lord said, "Noah, get these creatures on the ark."
Noah said, "Lord, it's beginning to pour."
The Lord said, "Noah, hurry up and shut the door."

The ark rose up on the bosom of the deep,
And after forty days, Mister Noah took a peek,
Said, "We're not moving, Lord. Where are we at?"
The Lord said, "You're sitting right on Mount Ararat."
Noah said, "Lord, it's getting mighty dry."
The Lord said, "Noah, see my rainbow in the sky.
Take all your creatures and people the earth.
But be sure you aren't more trouble than you're worth."