It’s quite amazing how someone’s testimony of faith in Christ amidst the horror of life gave birth to a powerful and beautiful song. Well, we’re talking about “I Believe in a Hill Called Mt. Calvary,” which the Gaither Vocal Band released in 1997.
Written by gospel musicians and couple William J. Gaither and Gloria Gaither, along with Dale Oldham, Mt. Calvary is a site just outside Jerusalem’s walls where Jesus was said to have been crucified. The captivating gospel sings about a person’s faith in Jesus, who was slain on the cross and made the ultimate sacrifice. The man’s faith is so strong that he vows to cling to the old rugged cross despite life’s biggest miseries. After all, Jesus has the power to change lives.
In 1999, “I Believe in a Hill Called Mt. Calvary” won Best Southern Gospel Performance at GMA Dove Awards.
The Inspiration Behind The Song
William J. Gaither and Gloria Gaither were inspired to write the song after listening to the testimony of Corrie Ten Boom, who went through the horrors of life during World War II in Nazi Germany.
She recalled a conversation she had with her father wherein she said she could never imagine herself becoming a martyr – to which her father gave a powerful and moving answer. He told her that God would give her grace when that time came, if that was what He called her to go through.
It turns out Ten Boom will be the only one in her family to survive the atrocities of the concentration camps, where she and her family were sent for their sympathetic role in sheltering Jews and helping them to escape.
You can listen to “I Believe in a Hill Called Mt. Calvary” by Gaither Vocal Band.
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