Day 16: "Oceans"

If you haven't heard this song, I'm sorry. It is lovely. It is also terrifying. Annie Downs wrote about this song and encouraged us to not sing it unless we mean it. It is a big and scary prayer to sing. If you just sing it without thinking about the words, you may as well be singing Taylor Swift in church. (Disclaimer: I am not a giant Tay Tay fan, but I like her exponentially more now that she's actually intending to be a pop artist instead of a poppy country artist.) Basically, who cares what the words are if we aren't going to pay attention to them? Music is an expression. It should be a means that allows you to pray or declare or ask or intercede or celebrate in a way that you can't experience through just talking or just listening. Music crosses all kinds of boundaries and sometimes that is painful, but it is usually also beneficial. Music can allow us to see a situation or another person or ourselves differently. Music communicates. The Bible tells us that God is enthroned in the praises of His people and that He rejoices over us with singing. The Bible is filled with God's people expressing themselves through song. Sometimes it's mournful. Sometimes happy. Sometimes filled with questions. But it either elicits a response from God or is done in response to God.

We can still communicate with God through music. Through song. But we don't need to take it lightly. We don't need to sing "Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders" unless we mean it. Our words should not be empty. But, if you do mean it? If you really want to say to God "wherever You would call me" then, by all means, sing it loud and proud. God's plans rarely look like our own, but they are always exactly what He needs and what we need even when we don't recognize it at first. It may be tough, but there will always be joy and fellowship with Him if you are in His will.

If you're not quite ready to sing these words yet, this song can still give you amazing reassurance that God will never leave you if you are His. Once you accept Him and become a part of His family, there is nothing that can take you out again--not uncertainty or fear or shame or guilt. Nothing. He's never failed, and He won't start now.

"Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)"

You call me out upon the waters

The great unknown where feet may fail

And there I find You in the mystery

In oceans deep

My faith will stand

 

And I will call upon Your name

And keep my eyes above the waves

When oceans rise

My soul will rest in Your embrace

For I am Yours and You are mine

 

Your grace abounds in deepest waters

Your sovereign hand

Will be my guide

Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me

You've never failed and You won't start now

 

So I will call upon Your name

And keep my eyes above the waves

When oceans rise

My soul will rest in Your embrace

For I am Yours and You are mine

 

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders

Let me walk upon the waters

Wherever You would call me

Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander

And my faith will be made stronger

In the presence of my Savior

 

I will call upon Your name

Keep my eyes above the waves

My soul will rest in Your embrace

I am Yours and You are mine

 

Day 9: "Give Me Faith"

Being a Christian is not all sunshine and daisies. Anyone who tells you otherwise is a liar. Sometimes life in general is just hard. We all go through things that test us. The difference I see between Christians and non-Christians is hope. Even if horrible things happen to me, I can still have hope that God is in control and He knows better than me. It's not always easy. Most of the time it seems really difficult to just trust God until I do it. Once I hand it over to Him, I can rest in knowing that He knows what's going on, what I need, and how to handle anything that happens. That's the difference. If I'm facing a tough situation, I have two major paths to choose from. I can: a) try to handle it myself, lose sleep, make myself sick, get extremely stressed and anxious, have my face breakout, get bags under my eyes, stop eating, and bite everyone's heads off...then finally realize I can't do anything about it and give it over to God and rest; or b) trust God to handle it and just try to be obedient to what He tells me to do. One is obviously simpler than the other, yet I continually choose the more complicated course of action.

The song I picked today is called "Give Me Faith" and it's by Elevation Worship. I want to trust God first and not as a last resort. I want the kind of faith that allows me to just rest in knowing that I know Him and God has got me and my issues all under control. Nothing surprises Him! Even when stuff surprises me, I can still trust God to already know and have it handled. All I have to do is be obedient.

I need you to soften my heart
To break me apart
I need you to open my eyes
To see that You’re shaping my life

All I am, I surrender

Give me faith to trust what you say
That you’re good and your love is great
I’m broken inside, I give you my life

I need you to soften my heart
To break me apart
I need you pierce through the dark
And cleanse every part of me

All I am, I surrender

Give me faith to trust what you say
That you’re good and your love is great
I’m broken inside, I give you my life

I may be weak
But your Spirit’s strong in me
My flesh may fail
My God you never will