From Hardship to Hope
“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”
Romans 8:18
Albert Brumley had been working since sunrise, and he felt every minute of it. His back ached. His hands were raw. His mind ran in circles, weighed down by worries that had nothing to do with the field in front of him. The country was in crisis, people were struggling, and the work never seemed to end.
He exhaled hard and pressed his palm against the plow. Lord, how much longer?
That was when he saw it—a bird lifting off the fencepost. One beat of its wings and it was free, soaring higher and higher, carried by nothing but the wind.
Something deep in his chest cracked open. That’s what I want. To be lifted. To escape this heaviness.
He knew he wasn’t alone in feeling this way. He saw it in the faces around him—people carrying more than they could bear, pushing forward because they had no other choice. But what if there was something greater waiting beyond all of this? What if one day, every burden would be lifted?
That longing didn’t leave him. It stayed with him as he worked, as he walked, as he hummed a tune under his breath. A song was forming.
By the time he got home, he was writing as fast as his hands could move. That simple song—born from sweat and struggle—would go on to bring comfort to millions. It would be sung in churches, at funerals, in quiet moments when hope felt far away.
Because it wasn’t just a song. It was a promise.
Some glad morning, when this life is over
I’ll fly away
To that home on God’s celestial shore
I’ll fly away
I’ll fly away, oh glory
I’ll fly away
When I die, hallelujah, by and by
I’ll fly away
If your heart is tired, if the weight feels too much, remember this: it won’t last forever. God has prepared a place where every burden is lifted. Hold on—because on the horizon, joy is coming.
LYRICS
Some bright morning when this life is over
I’ll fly away
To that home on God’s celestial shore
I’ll fly away
CHORUS:
I’ll fly away, oh glory
I’ll fly away, in the morning
When I die, Hallelujah by and by
I’ll fly away
When the shadows of this life have gone
I’ll fly away
Like a bird from these prison walls I’ll fly
I’ll fly away
CHORUS
Oh, how glad and happy when we meet
I’ll fly away
No more cold iron shackles on my feet
I’ll fly away
CHORUS
Just a few more weary days and then
I’ll fly away
To a land where joys will never end
I’ll fly away
CHORUS:
I’ll fly away, fly away, oh glory
I’ll fly away, in the morning
When I die, Hallelujah by and by
I’ll fly away
I’ll fly away
