tonight…. as I sit here, meandering and toying with thoughts in my head trying to decide what to write about, I hear the soft melody of an old hymn playing in the background, and feel the warmth of an evening cup of tea on a cool fall night. My attention slowly drifts from the words on the screen to the lyrical genius of prose of far better men than I. I don’t know what it is, but I am always drawn to these old spiritual songs.
I often ponder when listening to the hymns of old, of the writers who penned these songs. The heartfelt emotion, the raw, real Christianity represented in they’re lyrics, It overwhelms me….
To imagine, someone hundreds of years ago, crying out to God “I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord. No tender voice like Thine could peace afford. I need Thee, Oh I need Thee, every hour I need Thee. Bless me now my Savior I come to Thee.” Someone crying out in desperation for more of Jesus… with the same emotion, the same intensity, the same longing that I do tonight… it just overwhelms me, that even though time passes, the emotion and the human need for God remains the same. We do not change. Our needs do not change, and greatest of all, God Himself never changes. His response of love and mercy to the one who penned these lyrics is the same response offered to us today.
Not only in old hymns and spiritual songs is this seen, this is a common theme throughout all of Scripture. Looking at the Bible, Looking at vast differences of its authors and their walks of life, like the Michael Gungor song Children and Kings states “Its been sung, its been prayed, Countless times, throughout time. Its been said a thousand ways, by children and Kings, Poets and Priests.” God chose this vast group of authors to pen His word to not only solidify its validity, but to show that He is the God of everyone, of all people, all walks of life. He is God, He is King, and He loves you just the way you are.
By looking at God’s Word, from Job, to the Psalms, to Paul’s letters to the Church, we time and time again express our desperation for our Creator. We make a mess of things and cry out to God. As post modern philosophy wants to teach you that God flexes and balls His fist at you when you make a mistake, when your life seems a wreck, that is simply not the case. That is something that has (and still is) taken me years to realize, that God is NOT a policemen waiting for you to make a mistake. He is a loving Father, who is compassionate, like any good Father He corrects and disciplines when needed, but He loves you and wants whats best for you! even if we do not see it as whats best for us in the moment.
Jesus look within my heart and life and resonate within me. Jesus forgive me for being so selfish, forgive me for not giving my life completely to You. Jesus.. may my written words be saturated with Your presence. May You eclipse my life, and may people see more and more of You in my life and less of me. Just like all those before me, Lord I cry out to You for Mercy. I need Thee, Oh I need Thee, Every Hour I need Thee… Bless me now my Savior I come to Thee.
Josh In Real Life 