“Living Dangerously in the Hands of God” by Steve Camp
How easily Jesus is forgotten
Amid the comfort of my life
How the flames become a flicker
And faith a brilliant disguise
Oh, Sundays become a holiday
Prayer an empty exercise
And the cost of real devotion
Seems so foreign to my life
Oh, to gladly risk it all
Oh, to be faithful to His call
Abandoned to grace
But anchored in His love
Living dangerously in the hands of God
Our Lord, He is a hiding place
His hold is strong and sure
Though the storms may rage around me
In His love I stand secure
So let me live like I believe it
And though my faith is prone to fail
Though I cower under trial
By His grace, I shall prevail
Oh, to gladly risk it all
Oh, to be faithful to His call
Abandoned to grace
But anchored in His love
Living dangerously in the hands of God
There’s safety in complacency
But God is calling us out
Of our comfort zone into a life
Of complete surrender to the cross
To live dangerously
Is not to live recklessly but righteously
And it is because of God’s radical grace for us
That we can risk living a life
Of radical obedience for Him
You’ve got to walk on
For the Lord, He walks with us
You’ve got to walk on
Oh, though it costs you everything
You’ve got to pray on
For the eyes of the Lord
Move to and fro throughout the earth
That He may strongly support those
Whose hearts are completely His
Oh, to gladly risk it all
Oh, to be faithful to His call
Abandoned to grace
But anchored in His love
Living dangerously
Are you living dangerously
Oh, we ought to be living dangerously
In the hands of God
Are you living dangerously
In the hands of God
Dear God, as I get ready to preach later this morning, I feel like this song holds the key to the message you want me to deliver today. I’m preaching to a church in peril. It is hard to come in as a once-a-month preacher and feel like I am doing them any good. Is there anything I can possibly say today that will have an impact? Will I leave them with words from you? Am I preaching to an audience of one (you), or is there just one person in the audience this morning who will hear a word from you? I cannot waste this opportunity.
I want to reference multiple parts of this song this morning. I have some time, so I’m going to try to sink my teeth into this song and see how it might apply to the sermon I’ve already prepared.
“…And faith a brilliant disguise…”
One thing I’ve known about myself for a while is that sometimes my faith in you can become more a philosophy by which I live my life rather than a relationship that draws me into pure and true worship. Worship in my words and from my heart, but also worship in how I live my days, relying on you for directly and strength. One of the real dangers is that I put up such a veneer of “faith” that I use it to mask how empty my life is.
“…the cost of real devotion seems so foreign to my life…”
Some would look at my life and see someone who does a lot of giving, but have I really allowed my devotion to cost me what you’ve called me to give up? The answer to this question might be yes, I am doing exactly what you’ve called me to do. But I also know there are times when I subconsciously throw up walls and don’t allow myself to go down a road that might lead to suffering, even if it might be you calling me down that road.
“…though the storms may rage around me, in His love I stand secure…”
I heard a pastor a couple of weeks ago talk about the disciples in the boat with Jesus when there was a big storm and Jesus gave the “Peace, be still” command to the wind and ocean. He said of Jesus talking to the disciples afterward that he didn’t tell them there was nothing to be afraid of. Instead he asked, “Why were you afraid?” Storms are going to come in my life. “In [your] love I stand secure. So let me live like I believe it. And though my faith is prone to fail.”
“…to live dangerously is not to live recklessly, but righteously…”
If I will wake up every morning and seek you, repenting for my mistakes and embracing you in worship then righteous living will lead me exactly where you need me to be. I will make mistakes. I will miss opportunities. But the Holy Spirit will move me as I work out my faith with fear and trembling. I will be drawn to you. I will be moved.
“…abandoned to grace, but anchored in His love…”
Father, I am abandoned to your grace because it is my only hope. But my abandon does not just allow me to foolishly live my life, taking advantage of your love. My grace and my life and anchored to you. You are guiding me and leading me. You are calling me in every moment. I fail at home with my wife. I fail with my children. I fail at work. I don’t have a right to that failure. That failure is mine and I own it. BUT there is a grace. There is grace in your plan, but if I am going to be at all tolerable in any area of my life, I had better set my anchor straight into you and hold on. I must learn to draw deeper and deeper into you so that I might really understand what to do in any given moment and others might be blessed by my life.
In Jesus’ name I pray,
Amen
Emails to God 