13 “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.
Matthew 5:13
Dear God, Matthew follows up the Beatitudes with this little metaphor. Yeah, I guess this is really more of a metaphor of Jesus than it is a parable, but I think I’ll go with it anyway. He’s making a point.
So what does salt do? It preserves in an era when preservation was difficult and refrigeration non-existent. And when I was a camp counselor, we used to say at mealtime that salt made everything taste better. So what does it look like for me to be salty? What does it look like when I’ve lost my saltiness?
I think the best thing I can do after loving you with all my heart soul and strength, is to love my neighbor by being salty. Adding goodness to them. Adding quality to their lives. Being a solution to their problem. Now that I think about it, salt is only useful when it combines itself with something else. It isn’t the nourishment. It has some nutritional value in that we need to replace sodium in our bodies, but it needs other foods to be good and the other food needs it as well. If I just try to be salt in isolation, I will never be useful and no one will want me. But if I allow myself to partner with something/someone else, I can be part of your presence in this world.
Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, tomorrow’s parable will be the Parable of the Lamp. How I am to shine for you. But right now, I want to focus on being a functional part of your plan. You guide me. You cover me. You make me better and salty so that I might be your ambassador into the world. Please help me to be useful.
I won’t wear makeup on Thursday I’m sick of covering up I’m tired of feeling so broken I’m tired of falling in love Sometimes I’m shy, and I’m anxious Sometimes I’m down on my knees Sometimes I try to embrace all my insecurities So I won’t wear makeup on Thursday ‘Cause who I am is enough
And there are many things that I could change so slightly But why would I succumb to something so unlike me? I was always taught to just be myself Don’t change for anyone
I wanna laugh, I don’t wanna cry Don’t want these tears inside my eyes, yeah Don’t wanna wake up and feel insecure I wanna sing, I wanna dance I wanna feel love inside my hands again I just wanna feel beautiful
Oh-oh-oh, oh I Oh-oh-oh, oh I Oh-oh-oh, I just wanna feel beautiful
I’ll wear my sweatpants on Thursday And I’ll drink sloe gin from a can I’ll build my own independence I don’t always need a man
You know sometimes I feel lonely Could do with the company Oh, I get high when I’m down But you know that’s alright with me So I will do nothing on Thursday Sit alone and be
And there are many things that I could change so slightly But why would I succumb to something so unlike me? I was always taught to just be myself Don’t change for anyone
I wanna laugh, I don’t wanna cry Don’t want these tears inside my eyes, yeah Don’t wanna wake up and feel insecure I wanna sing, I wanna dance I wanna feel love inside my hands again I just wanna feel beautiful
Oh-oh-oh, oh I Oh-oh-oh, oh I Oh-oh-oh, I just wanna feel beautiful Oh-oh-oh, oh I Oh-oh-oh, oh I Oh-oh-oh, I just wanna feel beautiful
I won’t wear makeup on Thursday ‘Cause who I am is enough
And I, I wanna laugh, I don’t wanna cry Don’t want these tears inside my eyes, yeah Don’t wanna wake up and feel insecure I wanna sing, I wanna dance I wanna feel love inside my hands again I just wanna feel beautiful
Oh-oh-oh, oh I Oh-oh-oh, oh I Oh-oh-oh, I just wanna feel beautiful Oh-oh-oh, oh I Oh-oh-oh, oh I Oh-oh-oh, I just wanna feel beautiful
Songwriters: Steve Mac / Ed Sheeran / Jessica Glynne
Dear God, I came across this song about a week ago on one of my Ed Sheeran playlists. He doesn’t sing it, but he is one of the writers and his fingerprints are definitely on it. I’ve thought about the song since then. I decided I wanted to journal and pray to you about what is hitting me about this song a few hours ago, so since then I’ve listened to it about 10 times.
So what is it that strikes me about this song? I think it’s the ache. The fatigue. The giving up and surrendering in it. It reminds me of coming to the end of myself and just falling into your arms. I don’t think that’s what Jess Glynne is implying when she sings it, but that’s what it reminds me of. It reminds me of the freedom of turning loose of what others think and only finding my feeling of “beautiful” in your eyes.
As I read back over the lyrics of this song, I wonder why Thursday. If I were to have picked the most likely out of the seven days of the week, I would have thought it would be a Saturday or Sunday. I also wonder what her (and when I say “her” I mean not just Jess Glynne, but the anonymous woman who relates to this song) other days are like. Performing. Acting. Putting on a show. Even for someone who works a regular job who identifies with this song. Maybe a school teacher or even someone who works with me. Maybe the person next to me in church. Maybe someone who has built a life of isolation. Maybe someone who is in need of real community.
Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, like I said, there is a real sense of ache in this song. I pray this morning for anyone for whom it might apply. I have a couple of people on my heart right now. Set them free. Give them a path to your peace. Help them to feel their beauty from your eyes. When I was first married, I really looked to my wife for my sense of affirmation. And while I certainly lean on her to tell me when I’m in error, I don’t feel that endless need for her adoration. I can just let her be. And the irony is that letting her go like that only makes me love her more, and I think it frees her up to love me as well. So I pray that the spirit of this song would be broken in the lives of those for whom it relates through Jesus’s mercy and blessing, I pray that they, and I, would feel our beauty in your eyes.
I offer this to you through the mercy of Jesus and in his name,
33 Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!
34 For who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to give him advice? 35 And who has given him so much that he needs to pay it back?
36 For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.
Romans 11:33-3
Dear God, there is a note after verse 35 that cross references Job 41:11a [you talking]: “Who has given me anything that I need to pay back?”
Several years ago, after I did a study of Job and understood his growth through the trials he experienced, I noticed something fascinating about Paul. He had the same perspective in his epistles that Job came to by the end of the book. It is the idea that our lives are not about us, but just completely submitted to you. Paul says as much in Acts 20:24, but he also lives it while incarcerated and still giving thanks to you and love to others. I wonder how much time Paul spent with the book of Job when he was a Pharisee–before his conversion to Christianity. Had he already decided, even as a Pharisee, that his life was worth nothing to him and submitted it to you, albeit in a misguided way? Was he already there by the time he was on the road to Damascus?
Going back to this passage, I confess that I do not understand your ways. I don’t know where all this is going or how it all works out. My hope is that you will lead me to the peace that passes understanding. I was telling someone earlier today how you are using struggles in my life to form me, and I said at the end, “Some days, I believe what I’m telling you.” There are days when I don’t believe it. There are days when I feel sorry for myself. There are days when I’m just sad. Sometimes even mad.
Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, to quote Job in chapter 40 and 42: “I am nothing–how could I ever find the answers? I will cover my mouth with my hand. I have said too much already. I have nothing more to say….I know that you can do anything, and no one can stop you. You asked, ‘Who is this that question my wisdom with such ignorance?’ It is I–and I was talking about things I knew nothing about, things far too wonderful for me. You said, ‘Listen and i will speak! I have some questions for you, and you must answer them.’ I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes. I take everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.” Well, for anything that I’ve ever said to complain about my lot, I am so sorry. I do repent. You are my God. My life is yours.
I pray this through the grace you gave me through Jesus.
Then the angel of the Lord came and sat beneath the great tree at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash of the clan of Abiezer. Gideon son of Joash was threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress to hide the grain from the Midianites. The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!” “Sir,” Gideon replied, “if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn’t they say, ‘The Lord brought us up out of Egypt’? But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites.” Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!” “But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!” The Lord said to him, “I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man.” Gideon replied, “If you are truly going to help me, show me a sign to prove that it is really the Lord speaking to me. Don’t go away until I come back and bring my offering to you.” He answered, “I will stay here until you return.” Gideon hurried home. He cooked a young goat, and with a basket of flour he baked some bread without yeast. Then, carrying the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot, he brought them out and presented them to the angel, who was under the great tree. The angel of God said to him, “Place the meat and the unleavened bread on this rock, and pour the broth over it.” And Gideon did as he was told. Then the angel of the Lord touched the meat and bread with the tip of the staff in his hand, and fire flamed up from the rock and consumed all he had brought. And the angel of the Lord disappeared. When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the Lord, he cried out, “Oh, Sovereign Lord, I’m doomed! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!” “It is all right,” the Lord replied. “Do not be afraid. You will not die.” And Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and named it Yahweh-Shalom (which means “the Lord is peace”). The altar remains in Ophrah in the land of the clan of Abiezer to this day. Judges 6:11-24
Dear God, sometimes you call us to do things that we feel totally unqualified or unable to do. I was talking with my wife this morning about how awful the gift of prophecy would be. It would be terrible, in my opinion, to know the future. I have zero desire to want to know the future. If I had known how hard it would be to obey what I felt was your leading in 2002 to leave my secure job and step out in faith on an unknown adventure, I probably wouldn’t have had the courage to do it. Ignorance was my ally. It still is.
Even for Gideon here. If he had known how much work lay ahead for him as a leader he probably wouldn’t have had the courage to do it. You gave him just enough information to move him forward, but not too much so that he would be frozen into inaction. Back in 2003, I developed a line that you keep me on a need-to-know basis and I very rarely need to know. I hold to that.
I know some people who are preoccupied with the end times and understanding them. I don’t know why that intrigues them. That makes no sense to me. I doubt you have much of a role for me in your end-times plans except that, in the unlikely event that I find myself alive and in the middle of them, you just want me to be faithful to you in the moment–doing what I can within the sphere of influence you’ve given me. Frankly, I doubt I would be able to tell if I was in the middle of your end times or not. I don’t think any human can figure that out this side of heaven.
Going back to the idea of being able to tell the future and how awful that would be, the movie Encanto had a character named Bruno. The family members were given different gifts such as super strength, creating flowers, shape shifting, etc. The one gift though that seemed like the absolute worst to me was Bruno’s. Bruno got the gift of seeing the future. And, spoiler alert, it doesn’t bode well for him or the family. They can’t handle the knowledge Bruno gives them. And, frankly, they don’t need it. He has visions of the future, but they don’t really bring any solutions. Only fear, dread, and confusion.
Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, thank you for reminding me to simply keep my head in this moment. I don’t have to worry about the past because your grace has given me hope and peace from the mistakes I’ve made and sins I’ve committed. And I don’t have to worry about the future because my life is worth nothing to me (Acts 20:24). All I have to worry about is what you’re calling me to do in this moment. So I give you this moment right now. I’m sorry I didn’t give you more moments this week. I’m sorry I haven’t sat down to do these prayer journals since Sunday, although my week wasn’t totally devoid of you. But I’m grateful for you. I’m grateful to be loved by you. And I’m grateful for the opportunity to get to love you. Thank you.
I pray all of this completely submitted to who you are–the one true God,
In a room without a view, a new mother smiles and holds The tiny fingers of her brand new baby girl. Her husband takes her by the hand, so unsure about the future Have no money can they make it in this world? And they pray, Lord all we have to give is love Then they heard a gentle voice like an echo from above,
I have been there. I know what fear is all about. Yes, I have been there and I’m standing with you now. I have been there And I came to build the bridge oh so this road could lead you home. Oh I have been there.
He’s been a pastor twenty years But tonight he sits alone and broken hearted in the corner of the church He tried to change a fallen world With his words and with his wisdom but it seems like it is only getting worse And he cries, Oh Lord I just don’t understand Then he felt the hand of grace, and he heard a voice that said
I have been there, I know what pain is all about Yes I have been there, and I’m standing with you now I have been there, and I came to build a bridge Oh so this road could lead you home Oh I have been there.
An older man up on a hill Holding flowers but he can’t hold back the tears. Oh he has come to say goodbye. He thinks about the life she lived, Thinks about how hard it’s been to live without her Sixty years right by his side And he cries, oh Lord I loved her till the end And he heard a gentle voice say you’ll see her once again
I have been there I know what sorrow’s all about Yes I have been there and I’m standing with you now I have been there, and I came to build a bridge Oh so this road could lead her home, the road could lead her home
Oh I have been there, You know I overcame the cross, yes I have been there So her life would not be lost Oh I have been there, and I came to build A bridge so this road could lead you home The road could lead you home
Dear God, I haven’t done two of these prayer journals in one day in a long time, but today seemed like a good day.
In 2005, I was unemployed for about six months. One of the things I did back then was make a CD of songs that comforted me. Several years later, since CDs are much of a thing anymore, I made a playlist with those songs and saved them to my iTunes. I came across that playlist today. Coincidence? Maybe not. It feels like something the Holy Spirit led me to. The songs have been great and brought back some memories. Here’s a list of the songs, in order:
All of these songs are a comfort to me. They are a touchstone to a time when I was very sad, scared, down, and even a little depressed. I’m grateful for this list.
With all of that said, “I Have Been There” by Mark Schultz is the one that brought tears to my eyes. There is nothing I can experience you haven’t experienced. I wish I could find it, but there was something fictional I heard someone read about 35 years ago that still sticks in my brain. I’m sure the person who wrote it would be flattered that it made that much of an impression on someone. In this case, it was people lining up to say what they thought you should have to experience, as God, to understand us better. These are me paraphrasing some of the things. It’s been a long time, and I only heard it once, but it was something to the effect of:
One person said that God should have to be poor so he can understand what it’s like to struggle without anything.
One person said that God should have to have to endure scandal in his family so he would understand what it’s like to be gossiped about and rejected.
One person said he should have to know what it’s like to be rejected for his nationality and be a foreigner.
One person said that God should have to lose his son and watch him die a terrible death.
The list went on and on, ultimately ending with that God should have to die to know what it’s like to fear death. Then, one by one, the people walked away because they realized you did all these things through Jesus.
So as I sit here now, feeling rejected by some, there is nothing I can experience you haven’t experienced. Like the song from Mark Schultz says, “[You] have been there.” As I stopped and listened to this song closely, playing it back a second time, I teared up. I felt you comforting me, Holy Spirit. You have been there. You know what I’m going through right now, and you have been there.
Father, I’m sorry for the times I have been a source for your sorrow. I am sorry I have caused you to be there. Thank you for comforting me. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for being a God who left no stone unturned so that you might know everything about me, including what it’s like to be me.
21 Then Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Gentile woman who lived there came to him, pleading, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! For my daughter is possessed by a demon that torments her severely.”
23 But Jesus gave her no reply, not even a word. Then his disciples urged him to send her away. “Tell her to go away,” they said. “She is bothering us with all her begging.”
24 Then Jesus said to the woman, “I was sent only to help God’s lost sheep—the people of Israel.”
25 But she came and worshiped him, pleading again, “Lord, help me!”
26 Jesus responded, “It isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs.”
27 She replied, “That’s true, Lord, but even dogs are allowed to eat the scraps that fall beneath their masters’ table.”
28 “Dear woman,” Jesus said to her, “your faith is great. Your request is granted.” And her daughter was instantly healed.
Matthew 15:21-28
Dear God, this was the passage for church today, and the priest did a nice homily about it. So I want to ask something I don’t think I’ve asked before. What was this girl’s life like after Jesus healed her? Was she remarkably healthy? Did she live to an old age? Did her mother’s work on her behalf make a difference in her relationship with her mother? How did it impact how her mother treated her for the rest of their lives? Did the girl and/or the mother feel the girl’s life was now saddled with a responsibility to be used well since her life was spared and prolonged? Did the woman become a Gentile disciple after Jesus’s death and resurrection? Did the girl grow up to be a follower?
There are so many questions that this story doesn’t tell us. All it tells us is that Jesus responded tersely with this woman–almost in a racist way–and the woman impressed him. I tend to think he wasn’t actually being racist, but was testing her to see what she believed, as a Gentile, when it came to you and to him. Was she there for the freak show? Was she there just to use him?
So as I, a Gentile believe, pray for the things in my life–my wife, children, family, friends, etc.–what am I really doing here? What do I really want. Do I just selfishly want you to do for each one what I ask you to do, or do I want to simply ask that your kingdom will come and your will will be done in their lives, and in mine? Can I let go–truly let go–of the outcomes I want to see and simply turn my eyes upon you? Can I let go of making any of them my idols and let you be God?
Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, please be with everyone who is on my heart right now. I turn my eyes to you. Work in me. Break me, melt me, mold me, and fill me.
I pray all of this through complete submission to you,
13 One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could lay his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him.
14 But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.” 15 And he placed his hands on their heads and blessed them before he left.
Dear God, I think I have prayed about this before, but this was the New Testament/Gospel reading for the Catholic Church today so I thought I would look at it again. The same question that I think came to my mind then is what popped up today: How did those children’s lives turn out?
A nice thought might be that they ended up living these wonderful, Godly, blessed, and fruitful lives–all positive. I’m sure that’s what the parents who brought them that day wanted for them. We love our children and want the best for them. But the truth is, we have no idea what your best for them is. Maybe your best for them is for them to struggle and be honed into the people you have for them to be. Maybe your best for them is for them to suffer as they serve you. I am sure there was a disconnect that day between what the parents had in mind and what you had in mind.
We want so much for our children. I guess all animals do. I was thinking this week about animals in the wild that have babies. With some exceptions, the mothers will normally do whatever they have to do to defend and protect their child. There is this natural desire to just want to wrap them up and not let anything hurt them. But eventually we have to let them go, both humans and wild animals, and they have to face the world on their own. Human parents can try to help with some of the struggles of adulthood as appropriate, but for the most part the hope is that you will provide a path for our children than will bring them love, joy, peace, patients, goodness, faithfulness, kindness, gentleness, and self control.
Father, I pray that kind of blessing for my grown children today. Lead them into the fruit that comes from a life lived in submission to you. That’s the best I know how to pray for them. Use my wife and me in whatever way you have for us to be a part of your plan.
I pray all of this through the redemption offered me through Jesus,
15 It’s true that some are preaching out of jealousy and rivalry. But others preach about Christ with pure motives. 16 They preach because they love me, for they know I have been appointed to defend the Good News. 17 Those others do not have pure motives as they preach about Christ. They preach with selfish ambition, not sincerely, intending to make my chains more painful to me. 18 But that doesn’t matter. Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice. 19 For I know that as you pray for me and the Spirit of Jesus Christ helps me, this will lead to my deliverance.
20 For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die. 21 For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. 22 But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better. 23 I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. 24 But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live.
Philippians 1:15-24
Dear God, I know that it’s easy for me to say these words because I do not experience imminent threats to my safety or even my livelihood, but this is the attitude I aspire towards. That my life should really not matter. That I am willing to suffer if it means other will be saved.
Now that I think about it, I had some weird dreams last night. I don’t remember everything, but I remember a mixture of sorrow and joy. I remember one dream where my wife had written a screenplay about our lives that had been sold into a movie. I found out by watching a trailer for the movie and recognizing the story as ours. When I asked her how much she sold our story for, she told me and I was delighted for her and for where we are now compared to the trials I had seen depicted in the trailer. Later, I know I was crying. I’m not sure why. But I was sad about something.
Of course, I do have sorrow. My heart does ache. I guess, like my dream, I have some things in my life that bring me great joy, and other things that make me very sad. It makes me think of the Rich Mullins song “The Love of God.” One of the verses says, “Joy and sorry are this ocean. It’s in their every ebb and flow. Now the Lord a door has opened that all hell could never close. Here I’m tested and made worthy. Tossed about, yet lifted up in the reckless, raging fury that they call the love of God.”
Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, today, I give you my joy and my sorrow. Both are yours. My joy comes from you and I return it to you. My sorrow is something you will comfort and refine me through. I am tested and made worthy. I’m tossed about, yet lifted up into the reckless, raging fury of your love. Thank you. Thank you.
I pray all of this grateful to be submitted to you,
5 So Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab, just as the Lord had said. 6 The Lord buried him in a valley near Beth-peor in Moab, but to this day no one knows the exact place. 7 Moses was 120 years old when he died, yet his eyesight was clear, and he was as strong as ever. 8 The people of Israel mourned for Moses on the plains of Moab for thirty days, until the customary period of mourning was over.
9 Now Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. So the people of Israel obeyed him, doing just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
Deuteronomy 34:5-9
Dear God, there are always different chapter and phases of our journey. When we are children, we start school and begin a 13-year journey to high school graduation. Some might then start college and the journey to at least one degree–possibly multiple degrees and advanced degrees. Eventually, most will start a career and the long climb to accomplishment and eventual retirement. At the same time, we often get married and start building a family, first with our spouse and then raising children. The journey goes on and on. Sometimes we build on what we’ve done before, and sometimes we start over from scratch.
I have a new woman at work who is working on fundraising for our nonprofit with me. I told her that I call fundraising throughout the year the “fundraising wheel.” It turns in a big circle with our different fundraising activities, and then when the year finishes, we start again. We work to raise the money we need for the budget all year long, and then when January comes we start over at zero and start climbing the hill again. I guess all businesses are like that.
I am thinking about all of this because I’m thinking about Joshua and what was in front of him here. He had spent the last 40 years following Moses’s lead. Now, although he was taking up where Moses had left off, for the most part, he was starting at zero. There was a Promised Land to inhabit and he had to start the process one step at a time. One prayerful moment at a time. One battle at a time.
At my work, we are about to start the process of expanding our building to improve our existing services, offer more services, and prepare for growth over the next 20 years. I’ve never done anything like this before. Perhaps it’s for the best because my ignorance might just be my ally. If I knew how hard this will be I might be too afraid to do it. But I have you. I have prayer and faith. I am going to find a day to fast and pray to you about this because I know I cannot do any of it–select an architect, select a plan, raise the money, and oversee the construction, all the while managing our existing operations–without your guidance and provision.
Father, there are many aspects of my life that need your leadership. Okay, every aspect of my life needs your leadership. Please lead me. Please keep me from going in any direction that you do not support. Make our leadership wise and discerning. Help us. Help me. And please do it all for your glory.
I offer all of this to you, submitted to your authority,
In Christ alone, my hope is found He is my light, my strength, my song This Cornerstone, this solid ground Firm through the fiercest drought and storm What heights of love, what depths of peace When fears are stilled, when strivings cease My Comforter, my All in All Here in the love of Christ I stand
In Christ alone, who took on flesh Fullness of God in helpless babe This gift of love and righteousness Scorned by the ones He came to save ‘Til on that cross as Jesus died The wrath of God was satisfied For every sin on Him was laid Here in the death of Christ I live
There in the ground His body lay Light of the world by darkness slain Then bursting forth in glorious Day Up from the grave He rose again And as He stands in victory Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me For I am His and He is mine Bought with the precious blood of Christ
No guilt in life, no fear in death This is the power of Christ in me From life’s first cry to final breath Jesus commands my destiny No power of hell, no scheme of man Can ever pluck me from His hand Till He returns or calls me home Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand
Dear God, I was in church last night, and this song was one of the hymns we sang. I had a lot of thoughts going through my head while we sang it. I was thinking about political turmoil in our country and how some of your church has chosen to engage in it–wanting power and influence so that your kingdom can come and your will will be done on earth as it is in heaven from the top down. For whatever reason, I thought about the girl who was killed nearly 30 years ago at Columbine High School when the killer asked her if she believed in Jesus and she said yes. That made me think of the man who was healed by Jesus and was being asked by the Pharisees about who healed him and he asked, “Why, do you want to be his disciples too?” All of this was swirling in my head while I read the words Donald Koch and Andrew Craig wrote for this song.
When it comes to what I, as a Christian, am selling to this world, this is my answer. Not that I’m a good salesman, but this is my answer. This song. It’s not saving someone from the threat of hell, although maybe it should be. It’s really not even the opportunity to spend eternity with you, although that is my naivete talking and I’m sure if I really understood how amazing the next realm will be in your presence for eternity then I would only talk about that. But in my head, the message of this song is why I’m here, even in this moment.
So what is this song saying? Well, it’s mainly in the first and fourth verses. The first verse talks about the functionality of being a Christian and the help and peace in can bring me through relationship with and worship of you.
Verse 1:
In Christ alone, my hope is found He is my light, my strength, my song This Cornerstone, this solid ground Firm through the fiercest drought and storm What heights of love, what depths of peace When fears are stilled, when strivings cease My Comforter, my All in All Here in the love of Christ I stand
Verse 4:
No guilt in life, no fear in death This is the power of Christ in me From life’s first cry to final breath Jesus commands my destiny No power of hell, no scheme of man Can ever pluck me from His hand Till He returns or calls me home Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand
Then verses two and three explain who Jesus is and how he functionally made himself capable of saving me and reconciling me with you.
Verses 3 & 4
In Christ alone, who took on flesh Fullness of God in helpless babe This gift of love and righteousness Scorned by the ones He came to save ‘Til on that cross as Jesus died The wrath of God was satisfied For every sin on Him was laid Here in the death of Christ I live
There in the ground His body lay Light of the world by darkness slain Then bursting forth in glorious Day Up from the grave He rose again And as He stands in victory Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me For I am His and He is mine Bought with the precious blood of Christ
So what do I have in you, Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit?
Hope
Light
Strength
Cornerstone (foundation)
Solid ground (build on the rock and not sand)
Love
Peace
Fears stilled
Strivings ceased
Comfort
No guilt in life
No fear in death
And finally, no power of hell or scheme of man can take me from you. One of two things is certain. I will either see you return in my lifetime, or, more likely, you will call me home before your return. Either way, What I’m selling while I am here is the list I just made from verses one and four.
Father, help me to be a better maker of disciples. Help me to know how to invite people into what I have found in you. I woke up with another song going in my head that I remember from the church I used to attend when I lived in a different city: I just want to be with you. So come here and put your arms around me. I just want to love you. So come close and look right at me. So I can look into your eyes. So I can see into your heart. So I can feel you by my side and know that you’re near. One of the things I’ve always liked about that song is that it can be seen as being sung by me or by you. I think you would have those words for me, and sometimes, not frequently enough, I have those words for you. Help me, Father, be exactly who you need me to be.
I pray all of this under your authority and in worship to you,
Emails to God 