Thoughts of Tony

By Dave Harris

They were, I suppose, in quite a big fix,

You can read all about it in 2 Kings 6;

(We need not to dream this up nor to libel;

Look it up in Tony’s Bible);

It wasn’t at first very pretty;

An army of chariots and horses,

All the enemy forces,

Had completely surrounded the city;

Elisha’s servant was like me and like you;

“O my master, what shall we do?” he cried.

And God’s man, the prophet, boldly replied,

“Do not fear.”

Elisha sees a vision of what now draws near;

Knowing the victory is God’s

     and how much his Lord cares,

He says, “There are more on our side

     than on theirs!”

Then he asked, “O God, my prayer is to Thee,

Open his eyes that he, too, may see!”

Then the Lord opened the eyes of the servant

As He always responds

     to the prayer of the fervent;

God unleashed celestial resources,

As of from an eternal, gushing fountain,

What the servant saw filling the mountain,

Surrounding them, God’s numberless,

     fiery chariots and horses;

So massive a sight is God’s answer,

That surely he provided midst Tony’s cancer!

Father, You opened Tony’s eyes!

You gave him a heavenly vision of the prize!

O, soothing Holy Ghost,

You let him see the vast heavenly host!
 

You knew what his Blood-washed

heart’s fitness is,

You have shown him, Lord, the great cloud of witnesses!

You sent the Mighty Angels’ Guard!

You took him to his just reward!

Before taking flight through the skies

Tony, in turn, had opened our eyes

To mountains and plains

that are full of lost souls

Who need to be included on heavenly rolls;

We partner with God ’til we trek Tony’s climb;

Completing our task while still there is time;

Too many to win? Too much to be done?

Not if we reach out one by one.

Because of Tony we focused, we grew;

There are people to talk to, much work yet to do;

Tony has been a friend to us all;

He made us see that our troubles are small;

There are those who will say,

“I’m in heaven, my friend—

I’m here because of Tony Fend!”

Once more, Tony, you led the way

To yield silver and gold

among the wood, stubble and hay;

You taught us to be patient, to smile and to love;

Shortly you’ll convene the Roundtable above,

Whether it is morning, evening or noon,

We’ll join hands with you there ever so soon;

May I sit near you, near you and I AM,

At that marriage supper of the Lamb?

Psalm 133

¹ How wonderful it is, how pleasant, when brothers live together in harmony!
² For harmony is as precious as the fragrant anointing oil that was poured over Aaron's head,
       that ran down his beard and onto the border of his robe.
³ Harmony is as refreshing as the dew from Mount Hermon that falls on the mountains of Zion. And the LORD has pronounced his blessing, even life forevermore.