Some time ago, a dear friend became infected with COVID-19. At the start, we hoped she’d manage to quickly recover from it, but as days passed, her condition worsened till she ended up in the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU). We, her close friends, started storming the heavens with prayers day and night. If hers had been a different type of illness, and if we had been in a different time, I would have run to the hospital to be by her side the whole time. But as we all know, with COVID cases, this is not possible.
So in that situation, I remember asking myself: What can I do to let her know we are there by her side, keeping Jesus in our midst with her? (Mt 18:20) A strong desire came upon me to do something: I began writing her a song. I would have then asked her son to see when it would be possible for his mom to listen to it.
She stayed in the ICU for around 4 months, but thank God, she was finally able to pull through. At present, she is recovering well and is active again in our chat group.
Her recovery obviously wasn’t due to the song… but my experience went further, beyond that, for at one point, the idea came to send the song to another friend who’s living in Canada, just to share it with her, as a little gift. To my surprise, aside from telling me she liked the song a lot, this friend offered to arrange it. And an exchange of emails followed. She would send me what she had done, I would give her my feedback, expressing my enthusiasm and also proposing changes and/or certain additions… Despite the distance, we worked very well together.
At a certain point of the production, I felt there was a need for more voices towards the end of the song and not just have a soloist all throughout; also because the song’s lyrics use “we,” not “I.” So a crazy idea popped into my head to ask a few friends to sing along, to record the last part, and they all gave a joyful yes. I say “crazy” because one lives in Seoul, Korea; another in Jogjakarta, Indonesia; still another in Johor, Malaysia; one more in Canada… with me here in the Philippines.
When the song was finished, I sent each of them a copy of the “finished product” and there was such an ecstatic feedback from them. Then I realized how an act of love for a neighbor could trigger, and evolve into reciprocal love involving a bigger circle of people.
Joy Belamide
By Your Side
Music and lyrics by Joy K. Belamide
We are there by your side
Night and day, day by day
Rain or shine, come what may
We will always be by your side (2x)
God is with us
Guiding star in the pitch black night
God is with us
Sacred song that fills the silent halls
God within us
Our strength, our rock
Our light, our hope
God among us
With Him we are…
… we are there by your side
Night and day, day by day
Rain or shine, come what may
We will always be by your side (2x)
God is with us
Morning star at the break of dawn
God is with us
Rising sun bright’ning up the sky
God within us
Our strength, our rock
Our light, our hope
God among us
With Him we are there…
– INSTRUMENTAL –
God is with us
Morning star at the break of dawn
God is with us
Rising sun bright’ning up the sky
God within us
Our strength, our rock
Our light, our hope
God among us
With Him…
… we are there by your side
Night and day, day by day
Rain or shine, come what may
We will always be by your side (2x)
… by your side
