HOLDING ONTO GOD
Why do things have to be so complicated at times?
Why do questions arise that are so hard to answer?
I have forgotten that it's all about God. It's all about Him.
These happen so that I hold on to His Word and prayer with an even greater measure of faith than I did before. Discovering sins, relational conflicts, hard-to-discern situations, all point to my need of God's guidance, personally and providentially.
No, this is not about me, not about people. This is about God and how He intends for His glory to unfold in the world. Whatever happens among people is about God.
That's what I'm going to hold onto. It's about God. I'm supposed to be all about boasting Christ.
No challenge too hard that He will give unto me. No reason to panic. Every reason to be wary of turning my eyes away from God and making sin-stained decisions.
I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
(Philippians 4:13)
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Friday, June 28, 2013
Blank?
BLANK?
Hmm, am I tired or something? I haven't felt this blank for quite a while. I don't even remember when was the last time I felt like this.
I don't have as much emotion as I used to. My brain is not as constantly hard-pressed as it used to be.
Am I happy? Oddly, yes.
Are things fine? Far from it! Lots of things are wrong with me, and wrong in the church.
I've voluntarily underwent a change in my "strategy"; in the past, these observations would drive me to think that I must do something! How can I ignore these things? But really, now I realize that I was always trying to skip the step that matters: waiting upon the Lord.
Waiting? Am I suggesting that God intends to waste some of my time before helping me? No, but that I must not make a move until I'm sure of what He wants me to do. I must root my decisions in the Word, instead of resorting to some hastily thought-out plans like I used to.
Of course, I still panic at times and make some attempts to "run ahead of God", but at least I'm made aware of this.
Nowadays my attempted focus is my faithfulness toward the small things I believe are entrusted to me. Just shut up and do my little jobs first, God's kingdom will not fail without me in the front line. All this while, believing that "it's okay, God is in control, He shall succeed". It's really going to be all right. He really is going to be glorified.
I'm glad that I really could stop taking matters into my own hands. Truly, it's better to stay silent than speak unwise words. In my silent listening, I come before God for answers and discernment. The burden is mine no more.
Blank? Calm, probably.
Completely? Of course not, but getting closer.
Hmm, am I tired or something? I haven't felt this blank for quite a while. I don't even remember when was the last time I felt like this.
I don't have as much emotion as I used to. My brain is not as constantly hard-pressed as it used to be.
Am I happy? Oddly, yes.
Are things fine? Far from it! Lots of things are wrong with me, and wrong in the church.
I've voluntarily underwent a change in my "strategy"; in the past, these observations would drive me to think that I must do something! How can I ignore these things? But really, now I realize that I was always trying to skip the step that matters: waiting upon the Lord.
Waiting? Am I suggesting that God intends to waste some of my time before helping me? No, but that I must not make a move until I'm sure of what He wants me to do. I must root my decisions in the Word, instead of resorting to some hastily thought-out plans like I used to.
Of course, I still panic at times and make some attempts to "run ahead of God", but at least I'm made aware of this.
Nowadays my attempted focus is my faithfulness toward the small things I believe are entrusted to me. Just shut up and do my little jobs first, God's kingdom will not fail without me in the front line. All this while, believing that "it's okay, God is in control, He shall succeed". It's really going to be all right. He really is going to be glorified.
I'm glad that I really could stop taking matters into my own hands. Truly, it's better to stay silent than speak unwise words. In my silent listening, I come before God for answers and discernment. The burden is mine no more.
Blank? Calm, probably.
Completely? Of course not, but getting closer.
Monday, June 24, 2013
Beholding Christ; Exponentially Increasing
TURN YOUR EYES UPON JESUS
You say, you find it hard to believe it [is] compatible with the divine purity to embrace or employ such a monster as yourself. [In thinking this, you] express not only a low opinion of yourself, which is right, but too low an opinion of the person, work, and promises of the Redeemer; which is certainly wrong. . . . Satan transforms himself into an angel of light. He sometimes offers to teach us humility; but though I wish to be humble, I desire not to learn in this school. His premises perhaps are true, that we are vile, wretched creatures—but he then draws abominable conclusions from them; and would teach us, that, therefore, we ought to question either the power, or the willingness, or the faithfulness of Christ. Indeed, though our complaints are good, so far as they spring from a dislike of sin; yet, when we come to examine them closely, there is often so much self-will, self-righteousness, unbelief, pride, and impatience mingled with them, that they are little better than the worst evils we can complain of. . . . You have not, you cannot have, anything in the sight of God, but what you derive from the righteousness and atonement of Jesus. If you could keep him more constantly in view, you would be more comfortable. He would be more honored. . . . Let us pray that we may be enabled to follow the apostle's, or rather the Lord's command by him, Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, Rejoice. We have little to rejoice in ourselves, but we have right and reason to rejoice in him.
("Letter XI, to the Rev. Mr. S.," Works of John Newton, Vol. 6, 185-187)
* * * * *
EXPONENTIALLY INCREASING PAIN
I really still am a little kid, unable to get used to the severe suffering of the Christian life.
The concentration activities given to us in drama class seems to me like a metaphor of how this all feels. The most difficult one I've faced so far was when we were made to stare at a point on the wall, raise one hand up straight, and leap repeatedly on the same spot for an hour.
Sin degenerates our humanness so much; it makes us think that we deserve to feel comfortable and unchallenged all the time, and that freedom is the ability to do whatever you want to do. Yet, as mentioned by Ed Welch, if we look at Genesis chapters 1-3, the pinnacle of humankind is the ability to resist temptation, to not do what we feel like doing. And we lose more and more of our humanness, our image-of-God-ness, as we give way to temptation.
I remember that one hour. There was truly never a dull moment. As I started to get used to a certain pain, a new one sets in. First, my arm muscles hurt. Then, my thigh muscles. Then, the bones of my feet from hitting the ground. Then, the organs in my stomach hurt from being thrown up and down. It's probably not something healthy for one to do frequently.
Will I ever get used to this? Will I come to a point where I become so tough that I don't feel like I'm suffering? I don't think so, because of the way God molds us. He knows how hard He can push me, and it's certainly to a point where I will feel uncomfortable. He knows that although I feel like I'm thrown into such a great state of confusion that I wonder how I would get out, He also knows that I will be made new as He delivers me.
Because the problem is very real, the pain of healing should be very real too.
I was never really good with people. I hated society. I hated how my weaknesses are exposed. And I hated how some of my decisions, the consequences of my sin, become irreversible in the lives of others. I hated how everyone who came into contact with me seemed to die a little, because it gave testimony to what a monster I am.
People are not machines, and I can't just "fix" them; I know this. Yet I'm not quite sure how to stop treating them that way and to look to God for grace. Pride is a monster.
I'm not the persevering type of person, which is why I probably don't like to get too deeply involved in friendships too quickly, since I know that there is a certain amount of suffering in trying to reconcile differences, and for an unpredictable length of time. Time to forget these concerns and just be sincere.
The joy given to me will overwhelm my suffering, I believe.
You say, you find it hard to believe it [is] compatible with the divine purity to embrace or employ such a monster as yourself. [In thinking this, you] express not only a low opinion of yourself, which is right, but too low an opinion of the person, work, and promises of the Redeemer; which is certainly wrong. . . . Satan transforms himself into an angel of light. He sometimes offers to teach us humility; but though I wish to be humble, I desire not to learn in this school. His premises perhaps are true, that we are vile, wretched creatures—but he then draws abominable conclusions from them; and would teach us, that, therefore, we ought to question either the power, or the willingness, or the faithfulness of Christ. Indeed, though our complaints are good, so far as they spring from a dislike of sin; yet, when we come to examine them closely, there is often so much self-will, self-righteousness, unbelief, pride, and impatience mingled with them, that they are little better than the worst evils we can complain of. . . . You have not, you cannot have, anything in the sight of God, but what you derive from the righteousness and atonement of Jesus. If you could keep him more constantly in view, you would be more comfortable. He would be more honored. . . . Let us pray that we may be enabled to follow the apostle's, or rather the Lord's command by him, Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, Rejoice. We have little to rejoice in ourselves, but we have right and reason to rejoice in him.
("Letter XI, to the Rev. Mr. S.," Works of John Newton, Vol. 6, 185-187)
* * * * *
EXPONENTIALLY INCREASING PAIN
I really still am a little kid, unable to get used to the severe suffering of the Christian life.
The concentration activities given to us in drama class seems to me like a metaphor of how this all feels. The most difficult one I've faced so far was when we were made to stare at a point on the wall, raise one hand up straight, and leap repeatedly on the same spot for an hour.
Sin degenerates our humanness so much; it makes us think that we deserve to feel comfortable and unchallenged all the time, and that freedom is the ability to do whatever you want to do. Yet, as mentioned by Ed Welch, if we look at Genesis chapters 1-3, the pinnacle of humankind is the ability to resist temptation, to not do what we feel like doing. And we lose more and more of our humanness, our image-of-God-ness, as we give way to temptation.
I remember that one hour. There was truly never a dull moment. As I started to get used to a certain pain, a new one sets in. First, my arm muscles hurt. Then, my thigh muscles. Then, the bones of my feet from hitting the ground. Then, the organs in my stomach hurt from being thrown up and down. It's probably not something healthy for one to do frequently.
Will I ever get used to this? Will I come to a point where I become so tough that I don't feel like I'm suffering? I don't think so, because of the way God molds us. He knows how hard He can push me, and it's certainly to a point where I will feel uncomfortable. He knows that although I feel like I'm thrown into such a great state of confusion that I wonder how I would get out, He also knows that I will be made new as He delivers me.
Because the problem is very real, the pain of healing should be very real too.
I was never really good with people. I hated society. I hated how my weaknesses are exposed. And I hated how some of my decisions, the consequences of my sin, become irreversible in the lives of others. I hated how everyone who came into contact with me seemed to die a little, because it gave testimony to what a monster I am.
People are not machines, and I can't just "fix" them; I know this. Yet I'm not quite sure how to stop treating them that way and to look to God for grace. Pride is a monster.
I'm not the persevering type of person, which is why I probably don't like to get too deeply involved in friendships too quickly, since I know that there is a certain amount of suffering in trying to reconcile differences, and for an unpredictable length of time. Time to forget these concerns and just be sincere.
The joy given to me will overwhelm my suffering, I believe.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Rugged, Narrow Path
ARE WE THERE YET?
I've lost sight of what the future holds. Yesterday I was sure, today I rethink.
I'm still caught up in the narrowness of youthfulness. To a great degree I still live based on what I feel. I find that there are things of the world that I still miss. Being liked by many. Having a special, distinct persona. Singing all night and day. Dreams of the future. Trying to inch closer to a crush.
Being proud and playing god.
Behold, I am a living paradox! My heart runs in two opposite directions. Yet in this tug-of-war, God will surely not lose. I must never look back. I must not.
I have daydreams of myself trying to let the world understand that I'm not a freak. I try, in my mind, to somehow find a way to not look like a fool to the world. I would love to fit comfortably into their midst. But I forget that we have absolutely nothing in common, except that we all need God to save us from sin. That is not a common ground the world would readily accept, and it is one they spit on.
Yet, it is so real. How unlikeable I would become in their eyes is so real. I realize that this is something I'm not ready to lose. I'm not ready to fight the world, because I still, to some degree, call it home. It is my throne, the place where I can feel like a god, where I'm praised for abilities I claim as my own.
The pride inside of me is a Goliath.
O, Root of David, slay it! I am but a shivering soldier cowering behind you as the giant towers over us. Against my sin, I stand no chance. Slay it, I plead!
I must look away! Away with my stupid little feelings! Away with trying to be someone in this world! I was nothing until God formed me, and my identity remains tied to Him! The stories I create do not make me who I am, but the story of my life that He writes for me does!
Oh God, the struggle is going to be enormous. I shall struggle against powers and principalities and modern intellectuals and false prophets and divisions in the church, but now I'm just a boy, and the prospect of that scares me. It scares me because it's so real, and it's coming for me.
My God, how much I wish we could behold You with an unbroken gaze despite the waves that rise up around us. How I wish we would stop counting on ourselves and find peace in the truth that You know and control all things. It is always painful to count on ourselves. Always.
I'm frightened and in despair. Comfort me, Spirit of gentleness and mercy.
I'm sorry for my complaints. You deserve none of them.
Every day the Lord Himself is near me,
With a special mercy for each hour;
All my cares He fain would bear and cheer me,
He whose name is Counsellor and Pow’r.
The protection of His child and treasure
Is a charge that on Himself He laid;
“As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure,“
This the pledge to me He made.
I've lost sight of what the future holds. Yesterday I was sure, today I rethink.
I'm still caught up in the narrowness of youthfulness. To a great degree I still live based on what I feel. I find that there are things of the world that I still miss. Being liked by many. Having a special, distinct persona. Singing all night and day. Dreams of the future. Trying to inch closer to a crush.
Being proud and playing god.
Behold, I am a living paradox! My heart runs in two opposite directions. Yet in this tug-of-war, God will surely not lose. I must never look back. I must not.
I have daydreams of myself trying to let the world understand that I'm not a freak. I try, in my mind, to somehow find a way to not look like a fool to the world. I would love to fit comfortably into their midst. But I forget that we have absolutely nothing in common, except that we all need God to save us from sin. That is not a common ground the world would readily accept, and it is one they spit on.
Yet, it is so real. How unlikeable I would become in their eyes is so real. I realize that this is something I'm not ready to lose. I'm not ready to fight the world, because I still, to some degree, call it home. It is my throne, the place where I can feel like a god, where I'm praised for abilities I claim as my own.
The pride inside of me is a Goliath.
O, Root of David, slay it! I am but a shivering soldier cowering behind you as the giant towers over us. Against my sin, I stand no chance. Slay it, I plead!
I must look away! Away with my stupid little feelings! Away with trying to be someone in this world! I was nothing until God formed me, and my identity remains tied to Him! The stories I create do not make me who I am, but the story of my life that He writes for me does!
Oh God, the struggle is going to be enormous. I shall struggle against powers and principalities and modern intellectuals and false prophets and divisions in the church, but now I'm just a boy, and the prospect of that scares me. It scares me because it's so real, and it's coming for me.
My God, how much I wish we could behold You with an unbroken gaze despite the waves that rise up around us. How I wish we would stop counting on ourselves and find peace in the truth that You know and control all things. It is always painful to count on ourselves. Always.
I'm frightened and in despair. Comfort me, Spirit of gentleness and mercy.
I'm sorry for my complaints. You deserve none of them.
Every day the Lord Himself is near me,
With a special mercy for each hour;
All my cares He fain would bear and cheer me,
He whose name is Counsellor and Pow’r.
The protection of His child and treasure
Is a charge that on Himself He laid;
“As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure,“
This the pledge to me He made.
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Youth
RESPONSIBILITY OF THE YOUTH
Probably one of my toughest lessons up to date is to accept my place as a little boy.
I'm often so bloated with a fat head that I feel as if I know what to do for the future.
Yet God teaches me, over and over again, by allowing me to fail repeatedly, that my plans simply take too little into consideration and are not in line with His will.
The problem of my youthfulness is that I can get so caught up in my little world that I forget who is the One in control. I can have dream after dream after dream about what the future holds.
God graciously wrecks these false hopes, intending for me to look up to Him.
Now is the time for submission and discipline, for being quick to listen and slow to speak, and for knowing that I'm young, narrow-minded, full of pride, and have much to learn.
My new motto for myself is: "Shut up, little Josh."
Just shut up and listen, for Christ's sake. Literally.
God rewards the humble.
Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
(James 3:13-18)
Probably one of my toughest lessons up to date is to accept my place as a little boy.
I'm often so bloated with a fat head that I feel as if I know what to do for the future.
Yet God teaches me, over and over again, by allowing me to fail repeatedly, that my plans simply take too little into consideration and are not in line with His will.
The problem of my youthfulness is that I can get so caught up in my little world that I forget who is the One in control. I can have dream after dream after dream about what the future holds.
God graciously wrecks these false hopes, intending for me to look up to Him.
Now is the time for submission and discipline, for being quick to listen and slow to speak, and for knowing that I'm young, narrow-minded, full of pride, and have much to learn.
My new motto for myself is: "Shut up, little Josh."
Just shut up and listen, for Christ's sake. Literally.
God rewards the humble.
Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
(James 3:13-18)
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Hymn Medley
FROM HIM, THROUGH HIM, TO HIM
I'm writing this to make clear to myself what each part in the medley means to me (or at least ought to mean to me).
How Great Thou Art, Great Is Thy Faithfulness
Here is a proclamation of God's character. His transcendent attributes stand eternally, an unshakeable foundation for the rich, glorious story about to unfold. Like a prologue to a novel, or a prelude to an orchestra, God's infinite worth and power and eternal immutability are told.
They shall soon be made known.
God of Heaven
The Triune God forms the universe, pouring out His glory. The pinnacle of creation, mankind, comes forth, bearing the image of God and a heart of worship. Man looks upon nature and marvels at its immenseness and beauty, which testify to its Creator's greatness. Snow floating from the skies, powerful waves upon the shore, the sun rising and bringing the day, all cause breathless wonder in people (although there was no snow before sin, my point remains).
Man also recognizes the providence of God, that He is the "Author of our days and hours", that He is in control of whatever happened and is to happen. Trusting in God's goodness and power, they sing "things to come are held secure".
Deliver Us
The tale takes a downward plummet, and perfection is stained. Sin enters the world and holds mankind in a death grip. Suddenly, the sound of the waves mean to us the wrathful, furious roar of God against us.
We've forsaken God, and have become slaves to sin. We could find no way back to God. All is lost.
"With the sting of the whip on my shoulder, with the salt of my sweat on my brow"
We suffer as we take pleasure in sin. We suffer spiritual death and look forward to a physical one and an eternal one. And it is no dream; it is real. We march towards the gates of hell and cannot stop.
"Elohim, God on high, can You hear Your people cry?"
How curious is this cry. "Your people"? Could it be that God has chosen a people to be free of these dark chains?
"Deliver us, hear our call; deliver us, Lord of all."
We really are hopeless. The wellspring of sin is too deep to be traced, and we cannot plug it. We try to be righteous, but days and months and years we have tried, only to find that we are completely in sin, that even our attempts to be righteous are sinful and blasphemous.
We turn to our efforts no more. We smash our fists against God's door until they bleed; we call and hope and crave that somehow, for some reason, this glorious King will answer these wretched little rebellious creatures.
It is the only hope we have.
"Deliver us to the Promised Land!"
The little assurance we have rests upon His unconditional promise, which is like the calm eye of a hurricane. No matter how despairing the conditions look, no matter how high the tower of Babel is built, no matter how strong the authority of sin, there is a promise that we hold to, hoping that one day we may be free.
When a Child is Born, O Holy Night
"A ray of hope flitters in the sky"
It feels like a candle has been lit in a place where no light had been seen for years. And we are so accustomed to despair that hope becomes a little unsettling.
For a moment the world stands still in utter shock. The King has come?
And you don't even know what to think other than the word why. Why would He bother at all? Even we see who we are and lower our heads in shame; why does He lift our faces?
"And the walls of doubt, crumbled, tossed, and torn."
The tension releases, and we relax our bruised and bleeding fists. We are saved, we rejoice. God Himself is set out to save us. And all the while we had degrees of doubts about the promise; we doubted in vain, for the promise is as true as can be.
"Fall on your knees, O hear the angel voices"
We are dirty and unworthy, but we do the best we can to welcome the King. We kneel before His majesty and declare with our song that the night is divine with His glorious presence.
"O night divine!"
O Holy Jesus
The King does the unimaginable. God does the unimaginable.
He takes up our sin and swallows the bitter wrath of the Father. The cup that was meant for us was lifted to His lips, and He drank it all in obedience.
Abraham was willing to sacrifice Isaac, and Isaac willing to die as a sacrifice.
His death is even more bewildering than His arrival. Again, why? Why would You die for us?
The answer ought to break our hearts into a thousand pieces. In His agony, His bitter passion, His humiliation, He seeks to say to His chosen people:
"I love you."
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
(John 3:16)
And we find out what love is. The fickle sentiment in our sinful world that we call love is absolutely nothing when compared to this monstrous power. Oh, the breadth, the length, the depth and the height! Oh, when the hand of heaven reaches into the depths of hell to pull sinners out of darkness! We find out that simply yet truly, God is love.
Instrumental interlude, O Rugged Cross instrumental
Christ has to defeat death and bring us into life. Of course, death could contain Him as much as darkness can contain light.
“O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”
(1 Corinthians 15:55)
The King destroys the power of sin and death in the lives of His chosen people. We are free from the tower of Babel.
We are finally free.
Amazing Grace, It Is Well with My Soul
We step forward, leaving behind us the ruins of sin's dominion in our lives. We begin on a journey of grace.
We all know how this is. We all remember the nights of weeping as we recognize how great the grace we received is. We remember how sinful we felt before the Holy One and how simultaneously heart-wrenching and joyful we were when assured of salvation.
We can say that it is well with our souls because we look forward to eternity, where the remnants of our sinful nature leave us.
In our lives, we can look back at the times when we were bound in sin, and we can smile and say, "Those hellish principles are no longer a reality in our lives. He delivered us."
In our death, we can look forward to seeing Christ, the One who loved and saved us, with our very eyes.
"It is well with my soul; I'm coming home."
How Great Thou Art/God of Heaven
Although we medley singers merely stare up at the ceiling as we sing, we can know that we will one day be staring up at God. We can try to imagine how it would be like, and smile and tell ourselves, "No, it would be even better than that."
It is exhilarating to remind myself that the fulfillment of the kingdom of heaven is very real, and that I will see it one day. It is not a fantasy or a dreamlike thing, it will be as real as can be.
The remnants of sin in our lives will be gone, and the richness of God will be made known to us in a way that we cannot possibly now imagine. We will be surprised and awed. There's no way you can prepare or expect what's coming. It will be beauty beyond belief.
Perfect.
I'm writing this to make clear to myself what each part in the medley means to me (or at least ought to mean to me).
How Great Thou Art, Great Is Thy Faithfulness
Here is a proclamation of God's character. His transcendent attributes stand eternally, an unshakeable foundation for the rich, glorious story about to unfold. Like a prologue to a novel, or a prelude to an orchestra, God's infinite worth and power and eternal immutability are told.
They shall soon be made known.
God of Heaven
The Triune God forms the universe, pouring out His glory. The pinnacle of creation, mankind, comes forth, bearing the image of God and a heart of worship. Man looks upon nature and marvels at its immenseness and beauty, which testify to its Creator's greatness. Snow floating from the skies, powerful waves upon the shore, the sun rising and bringing the day, all cause breathless wonder in people (although there was no snow before sin, my point remains).
Man also recognizes the providence of God, that He is the "Author of our days and hours", that He is in control of whatever happened and is to happen. Trusting in God's goodness and power, they sing "things to come are held secure".
Deliver Us
The tale takes a downward plummet, and perfection is stained. Sin enters the world and holds mankind in a death grip. Suddenly, the sound of the waves mean to us the wrathful, furious roar of God against us.
We've forsaken God, and have become slaves to sin. We could find no way back to God. All is lost.
"With the sting of the whip on my shoulder, with the salt of my sweat on my brow"
We suffer as we take pleasure in sin. We suffer spiritual death and look forward to a physical one and an eternal one. And it is no dream; it is real. We march towards the gates of hell and cannot stop.
"Elohim, God on high, can You hear Your people cry?"
How curious is this cry. "Your people"? Could it be that God has chosen a people to be free of these dark chains?
"Deliver us, hear our call; deliver us, Lord of all."
We really are hopeless. The wellspring of sin is too deep to be traced, and we cannot plug it. We try to be righteous, but days and months and years we have tried, only to find that we are completely in sin, that even our attempts to be righteous are sinful and blasphemous.
We turn to our efforts no more. We smash our fists against God's door until they bleed; we call and hope and crave that somehow, for some reason, this glorious King will answer these wretched little rebellious creatures.
It is the only hope we have.
"Deliver us to the Promised Land!"
The little assurance we have rests upon His unconditional promise, which is like the calm eye of a hurricane. No matter how despairing the conditions look, no matter how high the tower of Babel is built, no matter how strong the authority of sin, there is a promise that we hold to, hoping that one day we may be free.
When a Child is Born, O Holy Night
"A ray of hope flitters in the sky"
It feels like a candle has been lit in a place where no light had been seen for years. And we are so accustomed to despair that hope becomes a little unsettling.
For a moment the world stands still in utter shock. The King has come?
And you don't even know what to think other than the word why. Why would He bother at all? Even we see who we are and lower our heads in shame; why does He lift our faces?
"And the walls of doubt, crumbled, tossed, and torn."
The tension releases, and we relax our bruised and bleeding fists. We are saved, we rejoice. God Himself is set out to save us. And all the while we had degrees of doubts about the promise; we doubted in vain, for the promise is as true as can be.
"Fall on your knees, O hear the angel voices"
We are dirty and unworthy, but we do the best we can to welcome the King. We kneel before His majesty and declare with our song that the night is divine with His glorious presence.
"O night divine!"
O Holy Jesus
The King does the unimaginable. God does the unimaginable.
He takes up our sin and swallows the bitter wrath of the Father. The cup that was meant for us was lifted to His lips, and He drank it all in obedience.
Abraham was willing to sacrifice Isaac, and Isaac willing to die as a sacrifice.
His death is even more bewildering than His arrival. Again, why? Why would You die for us?
The answer ought to break our hearts into a thousand pieces. In His agony, His bitter passion, His humiliation, He seeks to say to His chosen people:
"I love you."
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
(John 3:16)
And we find out what love is. The fickle sentiment in our sinful world that we call love is absolutely nothing when compared to this monstrous power. Oh, the breadth, the length, the depth and the height! Oh, when the hand of heaven reaches into the depths of hell to pull sinners out of darkness! We find out that simply yet truly, God is love.
Instrumental interlude, O Rugged Cross instrumental
Christ has to defeat death and bring us into life. Of course, death could contain Him as much as darkness can contain light.
“O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”
(1 Corinthians 15:55)
The King destroys the power of sin and death in the lives of His chosen people. We are free from the tower of Babel.
We are finally free.
Amazing Grace, It Is Well with My Soul
We step forward, leaving behind us the ruins of sin's dominion in our lives. We begin on a journey of grace.
We all know how this is. We all remember the nights of weeping as we recognize how great the grace we received is. We remember how sinful we felt before the Holy One and how simultaneously heart-wrenching and joyful we were when assured of salvation.
We can say that it is well with our souls because we look forward to eternity, where the remnants of our sinful nature leave us.
In our lives, we can look back at the times when we were bound in sin, and we can smile and say, "Those hellish principles are no longer a reality in our lives. He delivered us."
In our death, we can look forward to seeing Christ, the One who loved and saved us, with our very eyes.
"It is well with my soul; I'm coming home."
How Great Thou Art/God of Heaven
Although we medley singers merely stare up at the ceiling as we sing, we can know that we will one day be staring up at God. We can try to imagine how it would be like, and smile and tell ourselves, "No, it would be even better than that."
It is exhilarating to remind myself that the fulfillment of the kingdom of heaven is very real, and that I will see it one day. It is not a fantasy or a dreamlike thing, it will be as real as can be.
The remnants of sin in our lives will be gone, and the richness of God will be made known to us in a way that we cannot possibly now imagine. We will be surprised and awed. There's no way you can prepare or expect what's coming. It will be beauty beyond belief.
Perfect.
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