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Mystic Sweet Communion
with Anne Steele:
The woman behind You Alone
I'll never forget sitting on my couch in the family room and hearing the demo of You Alone for the first time. I was awestruck. Songs usually don't hit me the way that one did. The lyrics were so genuine and authentic. I knew immediately that I wanted to sing that song, but had no idea that I would be the first artist to record it.
The first thing I did was look up the person who wrote those lyrics, "My Maker and my King, to Thee my all I owe; From Your sovereign hand all blessings flow." Who was this person who felt so blessed that she owed her all to God?
 It was Anne Steele. When I read her story, I couldn't believe the immense pain and suffering she had endured. She grew up in poverty, her mother died when she was only three years old, she experienced a hip injury that rendered her an invalid the rest of her life, and then the day before her wedding, her fiancé drowned! I was humbled at how she felt like she owed God everything despite the fact that she had so little to give - or so I thought.
"Creation of Thy hand, in Thee alone I live; Your Name deserves more praise than I can give." Even though she didn't have much, she gave what she could give…her praise. For all that He is to us, and all that He's done for us, our feeble words of praise will never be enough to convey how we really feel, will they?
"Lord, what can I impart when all is Thine before? Teach me Lord to love You more and more." What can I give Him when it's all His to begin with? But, she answers it right away. When I think of how little she had in comparison to me, and how grateful she was, I am humbled.
"Let Thy grace inspire my soul with strength divine; let every word and all my days be Thine." What incredible words of commitment. Her dedication is so intense! I sing those lines just to be inspired to do the same. I once heard someone say, "You are what you sing." Each time I sing You Alone, it transforms my heart just a little more.
I had seen this hymn categorized as "Adoration and Praise." It's so much more than that! It's about giving…everything…our all…our lives…every second of every minute of every hour of every day. It's a song of thankfulness, commitment, dedication and offering. This is the least that I can do for my Maker and my King.
Why have I become so enchanted by Anne Steele? How is it that I have connected with an English woman who lived in a small village 300 years ago? I feel what she felt; the inadequacy of human language to express our love to God and the desire to live for Him. Her cries have become my cries, her tears have joined my tears, and her faith encourages my faith. What a powerful thing it is to experience "mystic sweet communion" with those who have gone before us! All of a sudden the kingdom of God has just grown bigger. I was born to sing this song. This is my song. Could it be yours, too?
-- Kristina
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