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“I Have Been There” by Mark Schultz

20 Aug

“I Have Been There” by Mark Schultz

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

Oh I have been there
Yes I have been there

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Mark Mitchell Schultz

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.

I gratefully pray all of this as your child,

Amen

 
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Posted by on August 20, 2023 in Hymns and Songs

 

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“Arms of Love” by Amy Grant

10 Mar

https://youtu.be/Ydw_UQEqdEs

“Arms of Love” by Amy Grant

Lord, I’m really glad you’re here.
I hope you feel the same when you see all my fear,
and how I fail.
I fall sometimes.

It’s hard to walk in sinking sand.
I miss the rock, and find I’ve nowhere else to stand.
I start to cry.
Lord, please help me.
Raise my hands, so you can lift me up.
Hold me close, hold me tighter.

I have found a place where I can hide;
it’s safe inside
your arms of love.
Like a child who’s held throughout a storm;
I’m safe and warm
in your arms of love.

Storms may come and storms may go.
I wonder just how many storms it takes
until I finally know
you’re here always.
Even when my skies are far from grey.
Let me stay, Lord, teach me to stay.

In the place I’ve found where I can hide;
it’s safe inside
your arms of love.
Like a child who’s held throughout a storm;
I’m safe and warm
in your arms of love.

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Gary W Chapman / Amy Grant Gill / Michael Whitaker Smith

 

Dear God, last night I had the glums. I just felt a little down. Depressed is too strong, but I was definitely feeling…well, a lack of peace. I was wondering why when it started to occur to me that they uncertainty about the Corona Virus and how it will impact the charitable clinic where I work, our fundraising, etc. might be getting to me. In the grand scheme of things, I’m embarrassed that something like this could derail me so easily.

Since I had lost some of my peace, it made me wonder what I had started doing in my relationship with you that might have distracted me. My conclusion was that I have been so focused on this Mothers of the Bible and Fathers of the Bible series that I haven’t been spending much, if any, time in personal worship.

Then, as I was going to bed, this song from my childhood came to mind. I think it came out around 1981. It wasn’t the most famous song on Amy Grant’s Age to Age album, but it’s a good one. So I thought I would spend some time with it today. It seemed to capture what I was experiencing.

Lord, I’m really glad you’re here.
I hope you feel the same when you see all my fear,
and how I fail.
I fall sometimes.

This just seems so honest and transparent. I’m glad I know I have you to pray to and talk to. I hope you’re glad you have me, even after knowing who I really am and what I’ve really done or failed to do. This beginning of the first verse is a nice set up.

It’s hard to walk in sinking sand.
I miss the rock, and find I’ve nowhere else to stand.
I start to cry.
Lord, please help me.
Raise my hands, so you can lift me up.
Hold me close, hold me tighter.

That’s what I felt like I had done yesterday. I tried to walk, but I had missed the rock. I missed your rock. I missed just spending time worshiping you. So help me to raise my hands so you can life me up (the most poetic line of the song). I’m not much of a hand raiser, but is that one of the things I’m missing out on by not raising my hands in worship? Do I miss the opportunity to have you life me up? Then there’s the last three words: “hold me tighter.” How tight can you hold me? What a great image.

Storms may come and storms may go.
I wonder just how many storms it takes
until I finally know
you’re here always.
Even when my skies are far from grey.
Let me stay, Lord, teach me to stay.

I often try to put myself in the position of the songwriters when I hear songs like this. I don’t know if it was Michael, Gary, or Amy that wrote these lyrics, of if they sat together and wrote them, but I can see exploring the idea of the ups and downs of life and how we are continuously learning to have the same relationship with you regardless of our circumstances. The same peace. The same joy. Yes, we might mourn, but there can be a peace and joy that under-girds it all.

I have found a place where I can hide;
it’s safe inside
your arms of love.
Like a child who’s held throughout a storm;
I’m safe and warm
in your arms of love.

It seems like there were several songs with this sentiment back in the 80s. Twila Paris’s “The Warrior is a Child” and such. I guess there have been a couple of times in my life where I just wanted to shut down and hide from the storm, but I’m not sure that’s what you are calling me to do. When I think of this, I think of Elijah running and hiding in the cave. You finally ask him, “What are you doing here.” (1 Kings 19:9-13) The thought of hiding in your arms is nice, but I think you are more interested in us walking through the storm with you by our side (or carrying us through the storm as in “Footprints in the Sand“). It’s a fine line to walk between hiding in your arms and riding in your arms.

Father, thank you for your arms of love. Thank you that they stretched out through Jesus to forgive me. Thank you that they reach out and lift me up. Thank you for holding me and comforting me. And thank you for using them to provide for me, even when I don’t feel like you are.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on March 10, 2020 in Hymns and Songs

 

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Some Old CCM (Christian Contemporary Music) by Michael W. Smith

31 Aug

For those of you who read this blog, I’m doing something a little different with my prayer journal this morning. When I woke up a bit ago, I was wondering what scripture I should use to inspire my prayer time with God today. I looked at the Revealed: A Storybook Bible for Grown-Ups book and found an interesting image for Joseph interpreting dreams while in prison, but it didn’t really inspire me–at least not now.

When I went in to make my breakfast, I thought of some of the Christian music my wife and I listened to in the 80’s and 90’s. I started shuffling through some old Michael W. Smith songs and found some great lyrics and good memories. A couple of them really made me think about some people I know and how they struggle to be free from shame and guilt. A couple reminded me of what Jesus actually did here on earth and what he offered to us. So I have four songs I’m putting below that are my prayer today. I’m praying the lyrics of each of these songs to God as a prayer on behalf of those who are struggling and as worship to the God that make a bridge to wholeness.

—

“Cry for Love” — Michael W. Smith

My life is like a racing car hurtling towards the wall
At the speed of sound
My time has been so finely tuned
But I’ve never seen a human being so tightly wound

At times it seems beyond belief
I just need a bit of relief
Like a war-weary soldier
Marching up and over the edge
Take my hand and pull me up cause I’m falling too fast
Somehow I’ve lost my way – I’m cryin’ save me

Can you hear me…I’m calling out
I’m crying out…a cry for love
I can feel you…you’re touching me
You healing me…my cry for love

I will be the first to admit
I don’t have the strength to handle it alone anymore
I don’t have to fret, don’t have to explain
All my worrying’s in vain
I’m not alone anymore

Why is this so hard to believe
What is mine is mine to freely receive
Like the changing of seasons
This is the beauty of the word
And for all that I have seen and heard
Oh I want to come home
Somehow I’ll make my way – my way home to you

Can you hear me…I’m calling out
I’m crying out…a cry for love
I can feel you…you’re touching me
You healing me…my cry for love

Oh Father hear my call (Oh Father hear my call)
I know you’ll catch me when I fall
Oh Father hear my call
I know you’ll catch me when I fall
Oh I pray that you’ll hold me now
Hold me
And take my fear away
I’m cryin’ save me

Oh I know that you can hear me
Hear me crying out for love
Oh I know that you can feel my cry for love…ooh…
I can feel you – you’re calling out
You’re crying out – a cry for love
I can feel you – you’re touching me
You’re healing me – my cry for love

Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Michael W. Smith / Brent Bourgeois

—

“I’ll Lead You Home” by Michael W. Smith

Wandering the road of desperate life
Aimlessly beneath a barren sky
Leave it to me
I’ll lead you home

So afraid that you will not be found
It won’t be long before your sun goes down
Just leave it to me
I’ll lead you home

[Chorus]
Hear me calling
Hear me calling
Just leave it to me
I’ll lead you home

A troubled mind and a doubter’s heart
You wonder how you ever got this far
Leave it to me
I’ll lead you home

Vultures of darkness ate the crumbs you left
You got no way to retrace your steps
Just leave it to me
I’ll lead you home

Hear me calling
Hear me calling
You’re lost and alone
Leave it to me
I’ll lead you home

So let it go and turn it over to
The one who chose to give his life for you
Leave it to me
I’ll lead you home

Hear me calling
Hear me calling
You’re lost and alone
Leave it to me
I’ll lead you home

Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Michael W. Smith / Wayne Kirkpatrick

—

“Rocketown” by Michael W. Smith

A Friday night affair
Out in the city heat
Always a party there
Along the sordid street
And it was guaranteed
The place to be was Rocketown

The drinks were two for one
Inside the crowded bars
The girls would make their run
Out on the boulevard
It was the idol place
We lived the ways of Rocketown
Hang around by the street light
In the heart of the night life

There came a certain man
A stranger to the crowd
We didn’t understand
What he was all about
He walked a different pace
So out of place in Rocketown

They made a fool of him
They teased him when he’d speak
But when they knocked him down
He’d turn the other cheek
He told me I could find
A life outside of Rocketown
Hang around by the street light
In the heart of the night life

What was his mission
Where was he going
Why was his heart light
Always glowing
All I was missing
He stood there holding
What was his secret
Could I know it

Some didn’t like him near
Some laughed and turned away
But me, I longed to hear
All that he had to say
He had a peace of mind
I couldn’t find in Rocketown
And when I reached down inside me
I could feel the emptiness

What was his mission
Where was he going
Why was his heart light
Always glowing
All I was missing
He stood there holding
What was his secret
Could I know it

He said it’s in the heart
This change that comes to be
Now he had done his part
The choice was up to me
As we were standing there
He said a prayer for Rocketown
As we were standing there
He said a prayer for Rocketown
As we were standing there
He said a prayer for Rocketown
He walked off silently
And prayed for me
And Rocketown

Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Wayne Kirkpatrick / Michael W. Smith

—

“Secret Ambition” by Michael W. Smith

Young man up on the hillside
Teaching new ways
Each word winning them over
Each heart a kindled flame

Old men watch from the outside
Guarding their prey
Threatened by the voice of the paragon
Leading their lambs away
Leading them far away

Nobody knew His secret ambition
Nobody knew His claim to fame
He broke the old rules steeped in tradition
He tore the holy veil away
Questioning those in powerful position
Running to those who called His name
But nobody knew His secret ambition
Was to give His life away

His rage shaking the temple
His word to the wise
His hand healing on the seventh day
His love wearing no disguise

Some say, “Death to the radical
He’s way out of line.”
Some say, “Praise be the miracle
God sends a blessed sign.
A blessed sign for troubled times.”

Nobody knew His secret ambition
Nobody knew His claim to fame
He broke the old rules steeped in tradition
He tore the holy veil away
Questioning those in powerful position
Running to those who called His name
But nobody knew His secret ambition
Was to give His life away

Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Michael W. Smith / Wayne Kirkpatrick / Amy Grant Gill

 
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Posted by on August 31, 2019 in Hymns and Songs

 

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“Thy Word” (Psalm 119:105) by Amy Grant

07 Mar

“Thy Word” by Amy Grant

Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.
Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.

When I feel afraid,
Think I’ve lost my way,
Still you’re there right beside me.
And nothing will I fear
As long as you are near.
Please be near me to the end.

Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.
Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.

I will not forget
Your love for me and yet
My heart forever is wandering.
Jesus be my guide,
And hold me to your side,
I will love you to the end.
Nothing will I fear as long as you are near.
Please be near me to the end.

Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.
Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path,
And a light unto my path.
You’re the light unto my path.

Songwriters: Amy Grant / Amy Grant Gill / Michael W. Smith / Michael Whitaker Smith

 

Dear God, I opened up YouTube this morning and ran across some concert footage of Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith performing this song. I think this was originally released on the Straight Ahead album around 35 years ago. Of course, it is based on Psalm 119:105. It’s interesting to note how much the two artists got from that one verse. I guess that’s kind of what I do with these prayer journals. I read your scripture and then see where your Spirit takes me from there.

Baylor University has four statements written on the top of its administration building, Pat Neff Hall, and this verse is one of the statements. “Thy Word is a Lamp Unto My Feet.”  I need to live that out today and every day.

Then there are the verses of the song that encapsulate what making that verse of scripture a part of our lives look like

  • When I feel afraid…
  • Nothing will I fear…
  • I will not forget…
  • Jesus be my guide…
  •  Nothing will I fear… (I never noticed this is in there twice.)

Father, I have a lot happening around me at work, and I’ll confess that there are times when I am afraid, but I try to remember to cling to my faith and believe that I have nothing to fear as long as you are near. I’ll confess that I do sometimes forget and that my heart wanders, but you teach me continuously how to be held to your side. Please be near me till the end.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on March 7, 2019 in Hymns and Songs, Psalms

 

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