For most of my life, I have been drawn to the "singer/songwriters". Now as I learn to know myself better, I realize it was not because I was some sort of quirky nerd or some indie spirit...but rather because I am a writer and a communicator. When I listen to music, the lyrical content will capture me...even if I am not drawn to the musicality initially. It is with that in mind that I share these songs, before I explore them here.
The first song is by Matt Maher (along with Audrey Assad, Christy Nockels and Kristian Stanfill) and its titled, Lord, I Need You.
The second song is called We Come, and it is by our pastors daughter and the Worship Leader at our Church, Shannon Quintana.
The song by Matt Maher seems so obvious in its title. Of course" I need you, Lord." However it goes so much deeper than that. This is not a desperate cry alone ,of a soul marred by sin, but rather a statement of truth for the believers life. For anyone who is a follower of Jesus, it is not just His grace and forgiveness we desire and partake of. That partaking" ups the ante "so to speak, because it then causes a relationship and bond to form, that transforms us..or will if we allow it to. This video playfully suggests different hours of the day at which we may need the Lord. Upon rising in the morning..at the coffee break at work..reading a book in the evening and heading off to sleep."Every hour, I need You. " Indeed. It is a relationship bound by love. "We love Him because He first loved us." 1 John 4:19
When we love our spouses, children, friends and even our furry family members; we think of them, want to spend time with them, "need" them to give depth and meaning and value to our existence.Likewise in our relationship with God there are similar feelings. If I have not connected with the Lord, I begin to miss Him.As I think about things in life,how He sees them or would like me to view them, cannot be far behind my own thought processes ~ because we are One now~ in Christ. "My sheep listen to My voice; I know them and they follow Me.I give them eternal life,and they shall never perish, and no one can snatch them out of My Hand. My Father who has given them to Me ,is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of My Fathers Hand. I and the Father are One. John 10: 27~30
This divine connection,redemption,transformation is real. It is a relationship birthed by Love ~ Revealed by Christs sacrifice on the Cross ~Fueled by the drawing of the Holy Spirit and our response to Him. It is not a religious activity or regimen we perform regularly.It is a living ,breathing union with the Creator of our soul.A relationship worthy of time and love and care.I treasure it, therefore I "need" it~ I need the Lord.
In the second song by Shannon, one of the opening lines says this~ " Welcome to the presence of a holy God ~ With open arms You tell us to come closer."
Is not that visual alone breathtaking?
To understand and embrace the concept of a holy God is one thing. To then realize we are being welcomed in, with open arms and then urged to "come closer" is quite another. It serves well to magnify the difference between religion and relationship.We can all recognize that God exists. " You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that ~ and shudder." James 2:19 Romans 1:20 also says, "For since the creation of the world, Gods invisible qualities~ His eternal power and divine nature~have been clearly seen , being understood from what has been made,so that people are without excuse." Those are statements from Gods Word. Therefore they stand as complete truth. He exists.
In conjunction with His existence, is the reality that He desires to commune with us, to love us, to develop us as His own. "I have loved you with an everlasting love, I have drawn you with loving kindness says the Lord." Jeremiah 31:3 Philippians 1:6 says " Being confident of this one thing, that He who began a good work in you will carry it onto completion,until the day of Jesus Christ." and also in Revelation 3:20 " Behold I stand at the door and knock,if any man hears My voice I will come into him,and will sup with him and he with Me. " These are only three verses of countless many, where God is reaching out to engage and relate with us.
So as I enter this New Year, I am rejoicing in opportunities to not only recognize my need of my Lord but also to recognize His voice in the stillness of my heart, when He says to come closer to His amazing open arms of love and grace. As in any other valued relationship there may be hills and valleys, because we are human. For His part He never changes and remains the same, yesterday, today and forever.( Hebrews 13:8)
How I thank God for the "singer /songwriters" who influence my walk and my life in Christ.They challenge me and call me to something "higher than I'. As their predecessor David they speak out of their own hearts and reflect the image of the God who created them, and call all of us to become like David, "a man after Gods own heart."
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