You know, most people loathe the morning drive - spilled coffee, too many commercials and talk radio and not enough music, horns, tailgaters, and bumper-to-bumper traffic... all that jazz... I used to be one of those people. In recent months, however, I've actually come to quite enjoy the daily commute. Yes, the traffic (and any resulting tardiness) can be bothersome, but there really is something I've begun to appreciate about my time alone in the car. It is amazing how rejuvenating a 15 minute drive can be... if you allow it to be...
It was on my drive to school this morning that I heard a song that just absolutely rocked my world. We're talking about the kind of song that comes out of nowhere, catches you off-guard, brings you to your knees, and gives you a whole new perspective... along with necessitating a mascara touch-up. The song was Addison Road's "What Do I Know of Holy?"
I've never been so convicted by a song. The lyrics speak about God's holiness and awesomeness, but they also speak to Christians who have made their relationship with God so routine in their day-to-day lives that there is no longer any life left in the relationship. I cried as the guilt of a thousand failed promises to God washed over me; I was shamed as I recognized myself in "I've tried to hear from Heaven, but I talked the whole time." I read my Bible. I pray. I go to church. I remember the Bible tales and parables that they teach you in Sunday school. I have my handful of readily accessible memorized verses. I even enjoy small group and fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ. But have I ever wholeheartedly feared God? Do I, on a daily basis, recognize, appreciate, understand, and bow to God's power and awesomeness and the grace that I am shown every moment of every day?
My heart breaks as I type this. How easy is it to let God's glory simply become "words on a page," or to just casually talk about Him who is "mighty to save?" I am guilty, and I am so ashamed. But I am so grateful to God for speaking to me through uplifting and enriching music. I am proof to the God-breathed and God-inspired influence of the music ministry.
I am scared to think how long I might have gone on in my routine, dry relationship had I not been tuned into that station this morning. How awful is it that I often change to secular stations because I become bored with the Christian stations I listen to playing the same old songs over and over again, or that I would rather sing along with some catchy song about fireflies than SING UNTIL THE WHOLE WORLD HEARS about God's amazing love and power? Shame on me.
This song is just so mind-boggling for me. Today was the first day of classes for spring semester. All day, when I've found my thoughts drifting to things of this world, to worries and stresses and micromanaging and syllabi, I just start to sing this song to myself, even if only to run through the lyrics in my head. It brings me right back to where I need to be. I know how to make an A, but why haven't I learned to pick apart and study God's living word the way I might do so with a science textbook or a piece of literature I'm studying? My whole life, I've been gifted in school and in my more scholastic, analytical, and left-brained endeavors. But this song was a HEART check.
I can honestly say that if you put a Bible in my right hand and a biology textbook in my left hand that I would feel more comfortable and knowledgeable about the content in my left hand. I can tell you all about photosynthesis and sodium-potassium pumps and protozoans, but what do I know of holy??
This is the challenge that I have set for myself and that I present to you, as well: Do not let God become a routine part of your life. What good is your testimony to someone lost if you're simply spouting off memorized lines of scripture or inviting them to sit with you for an hour to hear your pastor speak? Where is God in that? Instead of going through your walk as if fulfilling obligations or crossing things off a list, strive to recognize God's holiness and awesomeness in everything that you do. Don't let your week become: church - check, tithe - check, daily devotion - check, chapter of scripture read - check, prayer at breakfast, lunch, dinner, test time, and bedtime - check, check, check, check, and check. Ugh. I see that now, and I am in disbelief as to how I could have let that happen, as to how I let the God of the Universe become a pattern, a routine, an item on my daily to-do list. He is my breath, my rock, my Savior, my life. I want to know Him and strive to be holy. I want to dive into the ocean and not just tip-toe along the shore. No more going through the motions. No more broken promises. No more empty words.
I found and pasted the lyrics to Addison Road's song below, and I strongly encourage you to read through them. Find the song and listen to it on iTunes (or wherever you might buy your music). It's life-changing.
I've made you promises a thousand times.
I've tried to hear from Heaven,
But I talked the whole time.
I think I made you too small.
I never feared you at all.
No .
If you touched my face,
Would I know you?
Looked into my eyes,
Could I behold you?
What do I know of you,
Who spoke me into motion?
Where have I even stood,
But the shore along your ocean?
Are you fire, are you fury?
Are you sacred, are you beautiful?
So what do I know,
What do I know of holy?
I guess I thought that I had figured you out.
I knew all the stories, and I learned to talk about
How you are mighty to save,
But those were only empty words on a page.
Then I caught a glimpse
Of who you might be.
The slightest hint of you
Brought me down to my knees.
What do I know of holy?
What do I know of wounds that will heal my shame
And a god who gave life its name?
What do I know of holy,
Of the one who the angels praise?
All creation knows your name
On earth and Heaven above.
What do I know of this love?
What do I know of holy?
Oooh
Oooh
What do I know of holy?
It was on my drive to school this morning that I heard a song that just absolutely rocked my world. We're talking about the kind of song that comes out of nowhere, catches you off-guard, brings you to your knees, and gives you a whole new perspective... along with necessitating a mascara touch-up. The song was Addison Road's "What Do I Know of Holy?"
I've never been so convicted by a song. The lyrics speak about God's holiness and awesomeness, but they also speak to Christians who have made their relationship with God so routine in their day-to-day lives that there is no longer any life left in the relationship. I cried as the guilt of a thousand failed promises to God washed over me; I was shamed as I recognized myself in "I've tried to hear from Heaven, but I talked the whole time." I read my Bible. I pray. I go to church. I remember the Bible tales and parables that they teach you in Sunday school. I have my handful of readily accessible memorized verses. I even enjoy small group and fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ. But have I ever wholeheartedly feared God? Do I, on a daily basis, recognize, appreciate, understand, and bow to God's power and awesomeness and the grace that I am shown every moment of every day?
My heart breaks as I type this. How easy is it to let God's glory simply become "words on a page," or to just casually talk about Him who is "mighty to save?" I am guilty, and I am so ashamed. But I am so grateful to God for speaking to me through uplifting and enriching music. I am proof to the God-breathed and God-inspired influence of the music ministry.
I am scared to think how long I might have gone on in my routine, dry relationship had I not been tuned into that station this morning. How awful is it that I often change to secular stations because I become bored with the Christian stations I listen to playing the same old songs over and over again, or that I would rather sing along with some catchy song about fireflies than SING UNTIL THE WHOLE WORLD HEARS about God's amazing love and power? Shame on me.
This song is just so mind-boggling for me. Today was the first day of classes for spring semester. All day, when I've found my thoughts drifting to things of this world, to worries and stresses and micromanaging and syllabi, I just start to sing this song to myself, even if only to run through the lyrics in my head. It brings me right back to where I need to be. I know how to make an A, but why haven't I learned to pick apart and study God's living word the way I might do so with a science textbook or a piece of literature I'm studying? My whole life, I've been gifted in school and in my more scholastic, analytical, and left-brained endeavors. But this song was a HEART check.
I can honestly say that if you put a Bible in my right hand and a biology textbook in my left hand that I would feel more comfortable and knowledgeable about the content in my left hand. I can tell you all about photosynthesis and sodium-potassium pumps and protozoans, but what do I know of holy??
This is the challenge that I have set for myself and that I present to you, as well: Do not let God become a routine part of your life. What good is your testimony to someone lost if you're simply spouting off memorized lines of scripture or inviting them to sit with you for an hour to hear your pastor speak? Where is God in that? Instead of going through your walk as if fulfilling obligations or crossing things off a list, strive to recognize God's holiness and awesomeness in everything that you do. Don't let your week become: church - check, tithe - check, daily devotion - check, chapter of scripture read - check, prayer at breakfast, lunch, dinner, test time, and bedtime - check, check, check, check, and check. Ugh. I see that now, and I am in disbelief as to how I could have let that happen, as to how I let the God of the Universe become a pattern, a routine, an item on my daily to-do list. He is my breath, my rock, my Savior, my life. I want to know Him and strive to be holy. I want to dive into the ocean and not just tip-toe along the shore. No more going through the motions. No more broken promises. No more empty words.
I found and pasted the lyrics to Addison Road's song below, and I strongly encourage you to read through them. Find the song and listen to it on iTunes (or wherever you might buy your music). It's life-changing.
I've made you promises a thousand times.
I've tried to hear from Heaven,
But I talked the whole time.
I think I made you too small.
I never feared you at all.
No .
If you touched my face,
Would I know you?
Looked into my eyes,
Could I behold you?
What do I know of you,
Who spoke me into motion?
Where have I even stood,
But the shore along your ocean?
Are you fire, are you fury?
Are you sacred, are you beautiful?
So what do I know,
What do I know of holy?
I guess I thought that I had figured you out.
I knew all the stories, and I learned to talk about
How you are mighty to save,
But those were only empty words on a page.
Then I caught a glimpse
Of who you might be.
The slightest hint of you
Brought me down to my knees.
What do I know of holy?
What do I know of wounds that will heal my shame
And a god who gave life its name?
What do I know of holy,
Of the one who the angels praise?
All creation knows your name
On earth and Heaven above.
What do I know of this love?
What do I know of holy?
Oooh
Oooh
What do I know of holy?
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