Hope with Trouble in the Way – A Gospel Song
Hope with Trouble in the Way – A Gospel Song.
May God, the source of hope, fill you completely with joy and peace as you continue trusting, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may have overflowing hope, a hope that bubbles over.” (Romans 5:13).
Hope Defined. The biblical words for hope point to being able to anticipate the future with pleasure, to welcome whatever comes next, to have confident expectations of good in one’s life. Hope is faith in the future and a deep assurance of God’s hand in whatever is coming around the corner. The Hebrew word in Scripture for hope, “tikvah,” can also mean a connecting cord. Its root word is “qavah” which means to wait, literally to weave together the strings to make an unbreakable cord. Thus in Scripture we find that occasionally the words hope and wait are somewhat interchangeable. The Greek word is “elpis,” and means much the same thing. As has been said by many, hope is faith in the future tense.
“Hope moves the heart of God to come to our help with His grace.” (Father R. Cantalamessa).
Hope Described. Various descriptions of hope might include: Hope is confidently expecting a positive outcome, as opposed to despair, which is fearfully expecting a negative outcome; hope is trusting God for one’s future, as opposed to doubt, which is distrustful of God for one’s future; hope is an optimistic assurance based on reality, as opposed to wishful thinking, which is based on uncertainty; hope is a patient waiting that keeps one actively moving forward, as opposed to a frustrating resignation which passively keeps one stuck; hope is the strong inner urge to work through a difficulty and do what one can to solve it, as opposed to the inclination to avoid a difficulty and thus not solve anything; hope is the positive conviction that there is something substantial to look forward to, as opposed to one’s pessimistic belief that the future holds nothing but a bleak emptiness; hope is the anticipation of a triumphant future in the long run, as opposed to someone who doesn’t even believe in the possibility of a long run of any kind. As the ancient Church Father put it, “Hope is the loving movement of one’s spirit towards that which it hopes for.” (St. Didacus). So hope is not only a deep assurance and steadfast conviction, but also includes the object of the hope itself, the hope in the flesh, Jesus Christ, “our blessed hope” (Titus 2:13).
“Those who sow their tears as seeds will reap a harvest with joyful shouts of glee. They may weep as they go out carrying their seed to sow, but they will return with joyful laughter and shouting with gladness as they bring back armloads of blessing and a harvest overflowing!” (Psalm 126:5-6, TPT).
Trouble in My way, Sometimes I have to Cry
Trouble in my way is a classic, old school gospel blues song that was recorded in 1952 by the Dixie Hummingbirds. The song was written by Ira Tucker, the lead singer of that legendary gospel quartet. The group started in 1928 in Greenville, South Carolina. All four of the singers were high schoolers, and began in the tradition of singing gospel a capella. With a few personnel changes through the years, they were still singing in 2008. The ‘Birds were already fixtures in gospel music in the 1940’s and were legends by the 1950’s. Their “soul gospel” sound was credited with helping in the creation of the soul music of James Brown and Jackie Wilson. Isaac Hayes, referring to them as “the iron men of gospel” and “an American institution,” once said, “In the beginning, after the word, before rock ‘n roll, and before there was rap, hip-hop, disco, punk, funk, metal, soul, Motown, rock-a-billy, before be-bop, doo-wop, and the big band swing, there was the Dixie Hummingbirds, the mighty Dixie Hummingbirds. They personify perseverance, talent, and dedication.”
Ira Tucker joined the Hummingbirds in 1938, at the tender age of 13 years old. He brought a high-energy showmanship to the group’s performances, with his jumping off the stage, falling to his knees, and running through the aisles. His songwriting, deep voice and stage dramatics became mainstays in the gospel circuit as they traveled across the United States. The ‘Birds sang back up to Paul Simon in “Love Me Like a Rock.’ They were awarded one Grammy in 1973, and were nominated for several others. Ira Tucker continued to sing with them until 2008.
LYRICS – Trouble In My Way (Luther Barnes version)
Refrain – Trouble in my way, I have to cry sometimes. Trouble in my way, I have to cry sometimes.
I lay awake at night, but that’s alright. Jesus will fix it after while.
- Stepped, stepped in the furnace a long time ago, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
No, they were not worried, oh this I know. They knew that Jesus will fix it after while.
Refrain
Jesus will fix it. Gonna be alright.
It’s gonna be alright in the morning.
He’s gonna make a way.
Refrain
This song was a fast-paced, almost frenetic gospel song in the hands of the Dixie Hummingbirds. But Luther Barnes popularized Trouble in My Way by developing it with a slower pace and more in the gospel blues tradition. This great gospel song is sung in churches across the country and continues to be a worship favorite.