As long as there is time And one breath left in me There will always be one more song for You And as long as there is room For one more voice in praise And a need for a word of love and truth To help my brother through There’ll be one more song for You
You were there With Your songs of laughter Words of hope for my fears But what are songs When no one else will sing them What are words when no one hears There were times life became a question And when I asked, no one knew ‘Til I found the answer in You
So as long as there is time And one breath left in me There will always be one more song for You And as long as there is room For one more voice in praise And a need for a word of love and truth To help my brother through There’ll be one more song for You
Written by Michael and Stormie Omaritan
Dear God, I was listening to a YouTube video this morning about the new movie about Elvis called EPiC (Elvis Presley in Concert). They were talking about the gospel music influence on Elvis’s music, and they listed a bunch of gospel quartets. One of the groups they mentioned was The Imperials. Now, The Imperials that would have influenced Elvis would have been a much older more traditional sound than the Imperials from the 70s and 80, but for whatever reason, this was the song that came to mind when I thought of the Imperials.
As I thought about this song and sang it in my head, I was thinking about this series on prayer and how worship is one of the key aspects of prayer. It’s interesting that I tend to do my acclaiming of your awesomeness and majesty through song more than through actual prayer. But either way, there are times when my prayer is just pure worship. Actually, what we could probably use are more Christians songs of Christian lament before you. Songs of disorientation, like I talked about a couple of days ago. I can flip through the hymnal or listen to Christian radio and not really hear, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” We aren’t really supposed to say that in church without claiming the victory on the other side.
Father, as long as there is time and one breath left in me, there will always be one more song, one more acclamation, and one more prayer of worship for you. As long as there is room for one more voice of praise, I’ll lend my voice to it. You are my God. I put my trust and hope in you.
I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,
There is a redeemer Jesus, God’s own son Precious lamb of God, Messiah Holy one
Jesus my redeemer Name above all names Precious lamb of God, Messiah Oh, for sinners slain.
Thank you oh my father For giving us your son And leaving your spirit ‘Til the work on earth is done.
When I stand in glory I will see his face And there I’ll serve my king forever In that holy place.
Thank you oh my father For giving us your son And leaving your spirit ‘Til the work on earth is done.
There is a redeemer Jesus, God’s own son Precious lamb of God, Messiah Holy one
Thank you oh my father For giving us your son And leaving your spirit ‘Til the work on earth is done. And leaving your spirit ‘Till the work on earth is done.
Dear God, I heard this song for the first time in a long time about three days ago, and it really struck me how small we are. You are so…well, amazing. Awesome. Powerful. EVERYTHING! And I am so small. Even John the Baptist is less than the least in heaven. When I hear angels referred to as “Saints,” it almost seems like an insult to the angels. Like they can have the same title/designation as a human! No, we can be “Saints.” They are way above that.
So what do we do as these little, seemingly insignificant creations who are loved by you? We look to our redeemer. Jesus God’s own son. Precious lamb of God. Messiah. Holy one! You sent a piece of you to redeem us from Satan and make us part of your kingdom. To give us a path into your kingdom.
Father, I have embraced this gift for myself. Help me to offer it to others. Help me to share it with others. Help me to explain to them the difference between believing in your and accepting your redemption through Jesus and then walking through the narrow gate of discipleship. Help me to share that well.
Like a foolish dreamer, trying to build a highway to the sky All my hopes would come tumbling down, and I never knew just why Until today, when you pulled away the clouds that hung like curtains on my eyes Well I’ve been blind all these wasted years and I thought I was so wise But then you took me by surprise
Like waking up from the longest dream, how real it seemed Until your love broke through I’ve been lost in a fantasy, that blinded me Until your love broke through
All my life I’ve been searching for that crazy missing part And with one touch, you just rolled away the stone that held my heart And now I see that the answer was as easy, as just asking you in And I am so sure I could never doubt your gentle touch again It’s like the power of the wind
Like waking up from the longest dream, how real it seemed Until your love broke through I’ve been lost in a fantasy, that blinded me Until your love, until your love, broke through
Songwriters: Keith Gordon Green / Randy Stonehill / Todd Fishkind
Dear God, I can’t believe I’ve seemingly never done a prayer journal on this song before. Not that I could find anyway. I’m surprised because it’s the first Keith Green song I remember hearing. I might have sung one or two of his other songs in church, but it’s the first time I remember hearing a song and connecting it to this guy named Keith Green.
It’s one of those great, humble songs. My wife and I were listening to it over breakfast this morning, and I just go full-body chills. Just who I am in relation to you. I’m so small. I’m so insignificant in the Kingdom of Heaven, but Jesus reached out and pulled me in. Jesus came. Jesus provided the bridge. Jesus welcomed me. He couldn’t override my will. He wouldn’t make me come to you, but he was ready for me when I was done. I’m grateful, I suppose, that my “hitting bottom” was pretty shallow. I certainly came to the end of myself pretty quickly. I guess what frustrates me so much is how tempted I am to take it back. To take my life back. To take control. To start to set my own agenda. Yeah, that frustrates me very much.
I think I’m going to spend the next few days with Keith Green and some songs. I told my wife this morning that he reminds me a lot of Rich Mullins. He didn’t have a classically great or traditional singing voice, but somehow it makes the great songwriting even better. You took both of them young. I think they were both in their late 30s. Keith died in a plane accident, and Rich died in a car accident. You took them young, you took the quickly. In some ways, I guess they went out like Elijah. For my part, I don’t care how old I am, Father, when you take me. And I guess I used to pray that you take me quickly. But that’s selfish too, I suppose. You just do with me whatever you will. My life is not my own.
26 Another rebel leader was Jeroboam son of Nebat, one of Solomon’s own officials. He came from the town of Zeredah in Ephraim, and his mother was Zeruah, a widow.
27 This is the story behind his rebellion. Solomon was rebuilding the supporting terraces and repairing the walls of the city of his father, David. 28 Jeroboam was a very capable young man, and when Solomon saw how industrious he was, he put him in charge of the labor force from the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, the descendants of Joseph.
29 One day as Jeroboam was leaving Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah from Shiloh met him along the way. Ahijah was wearing a new cloak. The two of them were alone in a field, 30 and Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he was wearing and tore it into twelve pieces. 31 Then he said to Jeroboam, “Take ten of these pieces, for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I am about to tear the kingdom from the hand of Solomon, and I will give ten of the tribes to you! 32 But I will leave him one tribe for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel. 33 For Solomon has abandoned me and worshiped Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians; Chemosh, the god of Moab; and Molech, the god of the Ammonites. He has not followed my ways and done what is pleasing in my sight. He has not obeyed my decrees and regulations as David his father did.
34 “‘But I will not take the entire kingdom from Solomon at this time. For the sake of my servant David, the one whom I chose and who obeyed my commands and decrees, I will keep Solomon as leader for the rest of his life. 35 But I will take the kingdom away from his son and give ten of the tribes to you. 36 His son will have one tribe so that the descendants of David my servant will continue to reign, shining like a lamp in Jerusalem, the city I have chosen to be the place for my name. 37 And I will place you on the throne of Israel, and you will rule over all that your heart desires. 38 If you listen to what I tell you and follow my ways and do whatever I consider to be right, and if you obey my decrees and commands, as my servant David did, then I will always be with you. I will establish an enduring dynasty for you as I did for David, and I will give Israel to you. 39 Because of Solomon’s sin I will punish the descendants of David—though not forever.’”
40 Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam, but he fled to King Shishak of Egypt and stayed there until Solomon died.
1 Kings 11:26-40
Dear God, I just spent too much time looking for an image on my phone. I wasn’t able to find it, but I found it in two parts on someone else’s Facebook post when I Googled it.
It basically takes all of the kings of Judah and Israel and labels them as having done right, done evil, or mixed. The first time I saw this a few years ago, I saw that, while Judah had a mixed bag of kings (with most of them doing evil), Israel itself, including Jeroboam in this story, had nothing but kings who did evil. You knew this already in this story. I thought of a line from the opening of the movie Spaceballs as I read this story this morning (paraphrasing): “Unbeknownst to Jeroboam, but knownst to us…” The conversation Ahijah had with Jeroboam that day should have been enough to scare Jeroboam into not falling away from you. But it wasn’t. And all these stories should be enough to keep me from falling away from you, but I do it time and time again. Just yesterday morning as I was reading about Solomon I found myself repenting.
There’s a Keith Green song called “I Don’t Want to Fall Away from You.”
“After all the things that you have shown me, I’d be a fool to let them slip away.” But I am a fool.
Father, once again, I’m here this morning. I always do things I shouldn’t do, but you know, Lord, I don’t want to fall away from you. Help me. My faithfulness to you is the one things you can’t force. Well, you can, but you gave me free will. I can’t pray that you will never let me slip away. That’s my choice. But I can ask that you help me. I am “prone to wander, Lord. I feel it. I’m prone to leave the God I love. If it’s possible, here’s my heart, Lord, take and seal it. Seal it for thy courts above.”
Dear God, as I sat down this Christmas Eve morning to enter this time with you, I struggled with what scriptures to use as my base. Then I started thinking about friends who are struggling right now. I have a friend who just lost her mother-in-law a month ago (I found out yesterday). It was difficult. The family relationships with the woman who died were complicated. There is pain this morning. Maybe even some regrets on the parts of some. It can all be so confusing and overwhelming. I ask that you please be with this friend, her husband who lost his mother, his sister, the grandchildren, and anyone else affected by this loss. Father, in your mercy, hear my prayer.
I have another friend who texted me yesterday about her mother being taken by helicopter to a hospital because of a stroke. I don’t know what the outcome will be, but I know that relationships with this woman are similarly complicated as the ones with the woman I just talked about. There has been a lot of pain and hurt between people. No one is innocent. No one is completely guilty. It’s just the pain we cause each other when we are hurt. The old saying: “Hurt people hurt people.” And some awful things have happened. But our human love and sense of loyalty that you put into us–that is part of your nature–is still there drawing us to each other. So I ask that you make this pain count. Don’t let it be wasted. For the woman who is sick, do exactly what you need to be doing in her life. Love her. I know she worships you although I’m not sure she knows what discipleship looks like. But I think there is mercy for that. Heal her relationships with her children, grandchildren, and everyone else around her. Use this pain as an opportunity to heal relationships, draw each person into a deeper relationship with you, and make this family a beacon of light that draws others around them into your presence and relationship with you as well. Father, in your mercy, hear my prayer.
I have a list of friends who are facing challenges. Health challenges. Relationship challenges. End-of-life challenges. Loss of a loved one. Long-term care challenges for their aging spouses or themselves as they age. I know people who are struggling financially. Struggling in their careers. Struggling to make sense of life. Use these, please. Heal. Guide. Provide. Comfort. Strengthen. Support. Father, in your mercy, hear my prayer.
Of course, I have my own pain, sorrow, concerns, needs, etc. For my wife. For my children. For my relatives, friends, work, community service, etc. It can all seem so big, and I can feel so small. Maybe that’s where these two songs are coming in this morning. Confusion with your plan or what to do next isn’t anything new. Sorrow, pain, and hurt aren’t new. Doubt. Fear. Anxiety. They have all existed for a long time. And Mary and Joseph were no strangers to them. Two thousand-ish years ago, they were sitting next to a manger with a tiny baby wondering how this would all work out. And while you sent them affirmations in the form of angel visits, shepherds, and later Simeon and Anna, they were still left to take it all one step at a time. That’s us now. That will be us for as long as this timeline marches on. Wars and rumors of war. The sorrow, pain, hurt, doubt, fear, and anxiety. They will always be with us. But there is something you uniquely add to the equation. Hope. Peace. Somehow, you pierce through the darkness and give us a hope that there is something bigger than all of this. An existence with you that transcends the mess we create here. Help me to embrace this process now. I don’t want to kick against the goads. I just want to flow through this river with you as my guide. Steer me around the rocks so that the boat of my life might be there for the other boats in the water. Thank you for being the one constant. Thank you for being the same God in the Old Testament as the one that Jesus described in the Prodigal Son parable. Thank you for being that God today.
“Slippery Pearls” by Charlie Peacock (with a little Ashley Cleveland on BGV)
What you hold back from the minute The minute will lack If you don’t claim it from the hour Then the hour takes it back All our wants will pass quickly What remains is our need And mama don’t make no medicine That’ll cure that disease
Nothing is certain here in this world You drop all your treasures Just like slippery pearls Oh, it’s hard to find a handle On the things that you see ‘Cause they slide right through your fingers Just like slippery pearls
What you don’t lock up inside your heart The world will consume Might slip right down the throat of greed Or through the floorboards in your room There’s two thieves namеd pain and pleasure Neithеr one is true You ransom your flesh to save your bones Then they come and take those too
Nothing is certain here in this world You drop all your treasures Just like slippery pearls Oh, it’s hard to find a handle On the things that you see ‘Cause they slide right through your fingers Just like slippery pearls
They don’t make a map, no, to guide you Through the badlands of the soul You could lose yourself to blind conceit Or to the hunger for control Try to guard it all from the elements And still gonna fall apart ‘Cause the world outside don’t pose no threat Like the darkness in our hearts Hey…
Nothing is certain here in this world You drop all your treasures Just like slippery pearls Oh, it’s hard to find a handle On the things that you see ‘Cause they slide right through your fingers Just like slippery pearls
Dear God, I was trying to find a scripture to move me this morning, and nothing was really coming to mind. Frankly, I’ve been praying so much about some certain things in my life that I’m almost a little burned out on praying (is that okay to say?). My solution was to go to my Christian playlist on my phone, hit shuffle and see what came up first. This was it. I think this song is 30 years old. I remember when the album came out in 1995 and I lived in Dallas for a year. I’ve listened to every song on the Everything that’s on my Mindalbum by Charlie Peacock several times, including this one, but I don’t think I ever paid attention to the lyrics on this one before. I spent a little time with them, and I found conviction.
Waste. That’s what I got. I am guilty of wasting a lot of minutes. And those minutes turn into hours. and by the end of the month, the hours probably turn into days. I probably wasted days every month and as much as a month a year. So that’s the first verse. And I never appreciated the poetry of that verse. It’s really great:
What you hold back from the minute The minute will lack If you don’t claim it from the hour Then the hour takes it back All our wants will pass quickly What remains is our need
Then the second verse talks about not treasuring what’s important.
What you don’t lock up inside your heart The world will consume Might slip right down the throat of greed Or through the floorboards in your room There’s two thieves namеd pain and pleasure Neithеr one is true You ransom your flesh to save your bones Then they come and take those too
I don’t feel as guilty on this one. I think my head is in pretty much the right place when it comes to what I treasure, what I guard, and what I disregard. But again, the poetry of this song is really strong. I like it.
They don’t make a map, no, to guide you Through the badlands of the soul You could lose yourself to blind conceit Or to the hunger for control Try to guard it all from the elements And still gonna fall apart ‘Cause the world outside don’t pose no threat Like the darkness in our hearts
Was it the apple that tempted Adam and Eve, or the darkness in their heart that they didn’t completely trust you? They had some amount of hunger for control. We all do. It’s hard to be helpless. I have a need for certainty, and the faith you want me to put in you can seem contrary to that need because sometimes your plan is neither obvious to me or has things play out the way I selfishly want them to.
Nothing is certain here in this world You drop all your treasures Just like slippery pearls Oh, it’s hard to find a handle On the things that you see ‘Cause they slide right through your fingers Just like slippery pearls
I didn’t plan this, but the first line of the chorus echoes that last paragraph: “Nothing is certain here in this world.” I look for a handle so I can control (see verse 3: “Or to the hunger for control“) what is going on around me. But sometimes, even like now, I’m reduced to asking you to simply show me the next step I am to take. I don’t know where the narrow path leads, and it may very well lead down to a dark valley. Mine is not to know the destination. Mine is to know the path you have for me to take regardless of what it costs me.
Father, I’m involved in a challenging situation right now, but my prayers yesterday were for everyone’s best. I want the best for every person involved. I don’t want to take the easiest path for me. I want to be your blessing to others. I want to be your presence. I want to take every action that you want me to take. And I want to not act when you are calling me to simply be still. I want to be exactly who you need me to be today. Help me to be that.
I’ve had good days, I’ve had bad days, tasted victory in defeat I’ve had problems, biggest planets turn to pebbles when You speak I’ve had nothing to my name, never lacked for anything ‘Cause You were there with me
You’ve been my Savior, Sustainer when I’m at my end My Healer, Redeemer, again and again My Mother and my Father, Brother, Sister, and Friend Everything I’ve needed Lord, You’ve always been Everything I’ve needed Lord, You’ve always been
When I stand before You guilty, oh, Your mercy bears my blame When in pride, I think I’m worthy, You point out the price You paid When I wander far away, You keep callin’ out my name You don’t give up on me
You’ve been my Savior, Sustainer when I’m at my end My Healer, Redeemer, again and again My Mother and my Father, Brother, Sister, and Friend Everything I’ve needed Lord, You’ve always been Everything I’ve needed Lord, You’ve always been
You are my strength, my rock, Jesus You are my hope, my song, Jesus Before my heart knows what to pray You’ve already made a way, Jesus
You’ve been my Savior, Sustainer when I’m at my end My Healer, Redeemer, again and again My Mother and my Father, Brother, Sister, and Friend Everything I’ve needed Lord, You’ve always been
You’ve been my Savior, Sustainer when I’m at my end My Healer, Redeemer, again and again My Mother and my Father, Brother, Sister, and Friend Everything I’ve needed Lord, You’ve always been Everything I’ve needed Lord, You’ve always been
Everything I’ve needed Lord, You’ve always been Oh, Yes, You have Thank You, Jesus, yes You’ve always been
Songwriters: Jeffrey Thomas Pardo / Jonathan Burton Lowry / Chad Michael Mattson
Dear God, I need some pebbles from my sustainer right now. I have some problems that feel big as planets. I need you to make this pain count. Make it miraculous. Bring about deep healing and closeness to you. There are people for whom I care deeply, and many of them are really hurting this morning. Some of it might even be my fault. I’m sure some of it is my fault. Show me how to reach out and bring you into this process of healing. Please give us all a path forward. Work in hearts. Make us whole.
I realize as I type this very personal prayer to you in a public way through this blog that it will come across as weird to anyone who reads it. I guess what I’m hoping is they can at least see someone who is without answers and bringing his crisis to you. No pretense. Nothing polished. Just someone who is “at his end” (see chorus) and needs you. I need you, Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit, my Triune God. I need you to do things that are way beyond me.
Father, I offer this day and my life as a living sacrifice to you. Make me willing to do whatever you need me to do today regardless of the personal cost to me. This day is not about me. It’s not about my ego or my pride. It’s about being an instrument of your peace, regardless of what is costs me. Holy Spirit, please pray for me and for everyone on my heart right now. If there is spiritual warfare involved, which I’m sure there is, Jesus, by your power and blood, free us all of this bondage. Jesus, by the power of your blood, free us all from this bondage. Leave us with healed hearts. Humble hearts. Worshipful hearts.
“Cry the Name” by Jill Phillips (originally by Rich Mullins)
I cannot hide this longing that grows In this temple of silence and stars But a thief in the night stole in and broke Every chain that had bound up my heart I cannot cling to shadows again So here on this altar tonight I lay every dream I’ve ever dreamt To burn in the fire He lights
I cry the Name of the One who loves me The Name of the One on whom I call ‘Til it roars like thunder Rolling down these canyon walls
I cry the Name of the One who loves me The Name of the One on whom I call ‘Til it roars like thunder Rolling down these canyon walls
Every breath I’ve ever breathed Was sent as a gift from on high And with all that is left of all that is me Up to the Heavens I cry
The Name of the One who loves me The Name of the One on whom I call ‘Til it roars like thunder Rolling down these canyon walls
I cry the Name of the One who loves me The Name of the One on whom I call ‘Til it roars like thunder Rolling down these canyon walls
The Name of the One who loves me Name of the One on whom I call ‘Til it roars like thunder Rolling down these canyon walls
I cry the Name of the One who loves me The Name of the One on whom I call Down these canyon walls
I cry out Your name I cry Your name out ‘Til it roars like thunder Rolling down these canyon walls
The Name of the One on whom I call ‘Til it roars like thunder Rolling down these canyon walls Down these canyon walls
Dear God, I think Rich Mullins would have liked this cover of his song. Like most people, I usually like the original more than any remakes, but this one really brings the poetry of the words alive for me.
I cannot hide this longing that grows In this temple of silence and stars But a thief in the night stole in and broke Every chain that had bound up my heart
Paul talked about Jesus coming like a “thief in the night,” (1 Thessalonians 5:2) so Rich and Beaker lean into that imagery here. Our minds think of a thief in the night as a bad thing, but, well, if you know you know, right? If you know this verse then you know the depths of what Rich and Beaker are saying. So with this verse, I just get this image of someone at the end of themselves and they’ve finally submitted to you. They let you come in the window and trusted you to rob them of everything you want to take. The beauty of it is, you want to take their shame, their guilt, their vice, their selfishness… You want to take all of that and leave them with the smooth skin of a new baby. The innocence of a spotless lamb. That’s what you stole. So now that the thief (you) have made off with all of the bad:
I cannot cling to shadows again So here on this altar tonight I lay every dream I’ve ever dreamt To burn in the fire He lights
At least at first, it’s hard to cling to the shadows again. Shadows come from the light, when things are there to block it. And we want those things in our hearts that will block your light. But you want to remove them so the light shines everywhere. And, at least at first, we want your light everywhere. We want the shadows gone. I just finished looking at Jonah and Nineveh. At first, the Ninevites and the King of the Assyrians wanted you and repented. They wanted to get rid of their shadows. The sad thing is, the thrill wears off and the comfort of our shadows and shame can slowly come back if we don’t walk through the narrow gate and persevere down the narrow path (Matthew 7:13-14). But let’s sit a little longer on this night that Rich and Beaker are describing. They have chosen to lay every dream they’ve ever dreamt and let them burn in the fire you light. Beautiful.
I cry the Name of the One who loves me The Name of the One on whom I call ‘Til it roars like thunder Rolling down these canyon walls
I know there are a lot of places with skies, stars, and canyons, but this makes me think of some moments I’ve had out at the H. E. Butt Family Foundation Ranch near Leakey, Texas. Mountaintop experiences, to be sure. Glorious. Emotional. Humbling, but in a good way. It can be hard to leave that place. So I’ll just let the poetry of these words take me back to those times. When the soil of my heart was freshly weeded. Before some thorns and weeds had crept in. Just you, me, and guiltless soil.
Father, to quote another Rich Mullins song, “Elijah,” “Sometimes my ground was stony, sometimes covered up with thorns, and only you could make it what it had to be.” Help me to weed my soil again today. Help me to go and be your ambassador in every situation I find myself in. I love you, Father. Make me what I need to be today so that you might be glorified. I want to decrease and you increase. As I teach Sunday school in an hour, I want you to move hearts. Let this be a day when we do some weeding in all of our hearts.
Say that I’m crazy or call me a fool But last night, it seemed that I dreamed about you
When I opened my mouth, what came out was a song And you knew every word and we all sang along
To a melody played on the strings of our souls And a rhythm that rattled us down to the bone
Our love for each other will live on forever In every beat of my proud corazón
Our love for each other will live on forever In every beat of my proud corazón
¡Ay mi familia! ¡Oiga mi gente! Canten a coro, let it be known Our love for each other will live on forever In every beat of my proud corazón
¡Ay mi familia! ¡Oiga mi gente! Canten a coro, let it be known Our love for each other will live on forever In every beat of my proud corazón
Written by Adrian Molina (lyrics) and Germaine Franco (composer)
Dear God, I was playing this song for some extended family last night and I had it going in my head when I woke up this morning. I thought I would sit in my sadness with it a while and bring that sadness to you. You said that those who mourn would be comforted. Please comfort me now.
I have a couple of family relationships that are completely broken and it hurts. It is a hole in my heart. Sometimes, like even right now, it brings tears to my eyes. But I’ve accepted that maybe, at least for now, this is the path you have for all of us so that you can get us to the place you want us to be. I don’t want to get in the way of your plan for them or for me just because I selfishly want them back in my life. No one ever said (besides prosperity gospel preachers) that my life wouldn’t have pain. In fact, Jesus started off the beatitudes with being poor in spirit and mourning. He knew we would experience that.
And now that I’m sitting here in this sadness, I am thinking about the sadness in Ukraine over people being randomly killed by rockets being indiscriminately fired at them. Their family. I think about those is Palestine and Israel who have experienced incredible pain and loss. I think about the families here being separated by immigration rules that need reformed. I think about the pain of people who have family members with addiction issues. Parents who are fighting and don’t love each other. Parents who are drug-addicted and CPS is having to intervene. Yes, there is a lot of mourning out there. Yes, there is a lot of pain. Yes, there is a lot of those who are poor in spirit.
So I go to this song. It’s from the movie Coco. And I’ll say up front that the theology presented in Coco is not good, but I don’t really care about that in this moment. The movie is beautiful. As this song wraps up the movie, and as I listened to it last night, the part about dreaming really hit me. There are two people about whom you give me dreams. I’ll say the dreams are from you anyway. Even though our relationship is completely fractured, every time I dream of them they are good dreams. They are dreams filled with love and mercy. Forgiveness. Repentance. Hugs. Tears. I usually wake up from those dreams with tears in my eyes. I’m grateful for those dreams. Thank you for them.
Father, I pray for restoration of the relationships that are possible on this side of life. It’s too short to reject family love. But regardless, for the people who have loss through death and the people who will not see the restoration of relationship on this side of life, I pray for an eternity that, within your will, will be spent together worshipping and serving you.
These days, my heart’s always on the run These days, the world’s spinning out of control, oh These days are fast and they’re furious Feels like the worst is ahead of us, oh, oh
Sometimes it’s hard to feel at home, but
I believe that you and I Are in the right place, at the right time God called us by name And He doesn’t make mistakes I know we were born to shine bright In a dark world that needed some light Don’t have to be afraid Maybe we were made for these days Maybe we were made for these days
What if the beauty isn’t crushed? It just needs the hope that’s inside of us, oh, oh What if it’s more than a destiny? What if we’re part of a masterpiece? Oh, oh
Until our Father brings us home
I believe that you and I Are in the right place, at the right time God called us by name And He doesn’t make mistakes I know we were born to shine bright In a dark world that needed some light Don’t have to be afraid Maybe we were made for these days Maybe we were made (for these days!)
‘Cause staying when it gets hard To love with open arms It’s something to embrace Maybe we were made for these days
I believe that you and I Are in the right place, at the right time God called us by name And He doesn’t make mistakes I know we were born to shine bright In a dark world that needed some light Don’t have to be afraid Maybe we were made for these days Maybe we were made (for these days)
Songwriters: Paul T. Duncan / Jeremy Thomas Camp / Emily Weisband / Jordan Douglas Sapp
Dear God, I woke up with this song in my head this morning. I have no idea why. It was incredibly random, and I don’t think I heard it yesterday or recently. I don’t know why it was festering in there. So I went and looked it up. I’ve listened to it several time while I was showering and getting ready to teach a Sunday school class for some friends this morning. And now I’m going to just pray about it a little and see what you might have for me through the words of these song writers.
These days, my heart’s always on the run These days, the world’s spinning out of control, oh These days are fast and they’re furious Feels like the worst is ahead of us, oh, oh
I have to say that the second line of the first verse made me bristle a little. Only because I think every generations feels like theirs is the craziest, most out of control. I know some people who look back longingly at the 90s or 80, before cell phones. Others look back at the 60s and before cable TV. Other look back to the 30s and 40s when all we had was radio, although the people that remember that are getting fewer and fewer. There are whole political campaigns about returning to a previous time when things were better. But the people who lived in the 80s longed for the 60s. The people who lived in the 60s thought things were out of control and longed for the 40s. You get the idea. I’d wager I could go back to 1800 and find people who felt like the world was just getting more and more out of control. In 1000 and 1100. In Jesus’s day. I mean, even the Old and New Testaments talk about trying times. No, this is just our time, but it’s nothing that is beyond you. It’s nothing you haven’t seen coming. Is it more than we can handle? Maybe. Maybe our technology is exacerbating it all a little. Or maybe it’s just amplifying what’s been there all along.
Real quick on the last line of this first verse, I don’t like the idea that the worst is ahead of us. I mean, it very well may be, but what is the worst? My death? Okay. So be it. What is the worst? People starving and not knowing where they will get their next meal? People in danger in a war zone or living in a violent home? Drug addiction? Yes, these are all awful. But they aren’t new. Maybe what the worst that he’s feeling int his song is just the division and animosity between people. I heard a young man say the other day that the five people you keep closest to you is very important in influencing who we are. It was another way of saying what I’ve heard said and repeated myself that we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with. The trick with all of this media at our fingertips is that we are allowing a lot of deviant people into our sphere of influence and we don’t even realize we are doing it. It’s the slow drip that imperceptibly fills our bucket without us realizing it.
What if the beauty isn’t crushed? It just needs the hope that’s inside of us, oh, oh What if it’s more than a destiny? What if we’re part of a masterpiece? Oh, oh
And here he brings the hope that comes from the first verse. And this is the answer you’ve had for the world since the beginning. You’ve called us to be your hope to the world, but it has to start inside of me. You have to be my hope. You have to be the source of my peace. You have to be the source of my mercy and love. You have to be the source of my motivation. I’m fascinated to see how your plan comes together for this world. It feels to me sometimes like you set it all in motion and we’ve been doing a fairly good job of mucking it up. But there is this thing you’ve offered us here on earth called forgiveness. It brings with is mercy and grace. It’s just about the most powerful thing we can then turn and offer the world. And it starts with your mercy and grace, your forgiveness of us. All we have to do is come to you, repent, and ask. But it’s not over at that point. The only way we get to accepting that forgiveness from you is to walk through the narrow gate and take the road less traveled. I think what’s frustrated me most about being an adult Christian is how many people I’ve invited to walk that road with me but they just won’t do it.
I believe that you and I Are in the right place, at the right time God called us by name And He doesn’t make mistakes I know we were born to shine bright In a dark world that needed some light Don’t have to be afraid Maybe we were made for these days Maybe we were made (for these days)
We are your Plan A, and you don’t have a Plan B this side of death. We carry you into this world. Will we do it well? Will I do it well? I’m grieved by what I see around me, Father. I’m grieved by the suffering of people in my immediate sphere, in the sphere of my community and country, and in the sphere of the world. And I cannot fix it all. But I’m not alone. I do, however, have a responsibility to do what you’ve called me to today. So this morning, as I prepare to teach a Sunday school class to a group that are mainly senior citizens, help me to take them a message you have for them. Love them through me. Encourage them. We have some relatives coming today. Help me to love them and receive your love from them. Be glorified through me, Father. Help me to bring at least one more person with me through the narrow gate today.
Emails to God 