This is an original medley by Jon Cheney of two of the best hymns out there--"Have I Done Any Good?" and "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief."
This song is perfect for playing in Sacrament Meeting, other church events, or just at home to bring more peace.
It was released on all major streaming services earlier in 2024 and is available to listen to now to help you learn and hear how Jon plays it.
This song is meant to be played very reverently for most of the song and then it has a surprise strong part right before the ending.
The story behind this song is special. In Jon's words:
"Earlier this year, I had to get a surgery on my left shoulder. It had been bothering me for some time and it needed to get done. I was prepped to have the surgery on Monday and the Saturday before then, I got a call from somebody in the Stake Presidency asking me to play a special musical number the following Saturday during Stake Conference. I immediately thought to my upcoming surgery and quickly calculated that it would be just 5 days after surgery.
For anybody that has gotten surgery, 5 days after surgery is usually some of the worst pain. It's fine for a few days and then the nerve blocks and anesthesia completely run out. But I've had other surgeries and I knew that I'd be able to move it at least a little. So I agreed!
I figured that I'd just create some music that would be calm and simple in the left hand and allow my right hand to do most of the work. Slow and sweet melodies played reverently are very powerful at bringing the Spirit into the room, so I knew the structure of what I wanted to do.
I thought prayerfully about which songs I'd bring together, and since the topic was going to be related to ministering, these two songs jumped into my head. I had the surgery on Monday and I actually was in so much pain that I couldn't even sit down to work something out until Friday afternoon.
When I first sat down to play on Friday, my left arm wouldn't do anything I asked it to. It just wouldn't jump or hardly even stay in the correct position. I literally felt like I was a new piano player and the muscle memory was gone. But as I pushed through and started figuring out these ideas, I ended up playing for over an hour and by the end, my arm was really moving. Playing the piano lightly is a must for any shoulder therapy! I even got to where I felt I could jump a bit and even play a bit harder for one part of the song.
Saturday evening came around, and it was time. I was still wearing a cast and I had a couple members of the stake presidency come up and ask if I was going to be able to play. I assured them I kept it simple and that it would work out. When it was time for me to head up to the piano to play the song, I walked up, slipped the cast aside and started to softly play this medley.
It was dead silent as the audience sat there and just soaked in the sweet Spirit that the song brought into the room. This song was not really written by me--I was just the messenger. I know that God directed me to write these notes and to play the song in the way that I did. I also know that I was strengthened beyond what I should have been able to do at that point in my shoulder recovery so that the Spirit could be into that room. I know that God lives and cares for us individually and I'm grateful that I get to share this song with you now."
The music can be listened to on Apple Music here and Spotify here.