Tag Archive | worship

A Last Song

I read a note on Facebook written by a friend of mine. It was about fear, but in the note she told a story. She recently went on a trip to Kansas City, for the OneThing conference at IHOP (that’s International House of Prayer for all you pancake lovers). Anyway, on the plane, she got the chance to witness to two young ladies, especially as the plane encountered some turbulence. As the plane shook, she got the crazy urge to sing out in worship to the Lord. Which brought her to the (hypothetical) question, “if I know the people around me aren’t saved, and this plane is going down, what song would I sing?”

For me, the one that comes to mind repeatedly is ‘You Are Good’ by Kari Jobe (posted below). Nice and simple, which is probably a good thing in the face of impending doom. But also, I think it’d be what people need to hear as the plane went down. That God’s there, and He’s good, and in Him, we’ll be ok. In Him, I have nothing to fear. That song would keep that perspective in place. Because ultimately, singing a song wouldn’t be for me. I know exactly where I’m going when I die, and I don’t fear it. In fact, when I know the time has come for me to finally see Jesus, really see Him, I’ll run for it full speed. The song I think would be more for the people around me, who may or may not be saved. I’d want them to be comforted and maybe have that one last chance at salvation.

It may be a dramatic scenario, but I thought it was a cool thing to ponder. So I’m putting it out there for all of you. If your plane was going down, or really if you were in any life-or-death situation (even a drawn-out situation, like fighting an illness), what would you sing?

Worthy of my worship

Jan8

Life is a funny series of ups and downs. The year started off on an incredible high. I was accepted into the program that is going to send me overseas. Then I received huge recognition at work for a project I undertook which saved the company thousands of dollars which will go directly to its bottom line profits. I had a great review and then I got a raise. What a way to start the new year!

Then this week has been nothing but trouble. Technical complications have plagued me; deadlines have threatened to drown me. My co-workers suddenly hate me because the recognition I got puts pressure on them. My car broke down on the way to a church conference and I had to miss the conference as a result. The repair is costing a few hundred bucks (there goes the benefit of that raise). And now, I’m sick. I have a sore throat, sinus headache, and ache all over. I am feverish, stuffy and I feel weak and run down. To top it all off, I had another post planned for today that I spent quite a bit of time writing and now it seems to have disappeared and been eaten by the digital monster. By all accounts, I should be miserable. First World Problem version of miserable, but miserable none the less. No one likes being sick after all.

But you know what? Spiritually I am well. Physically and mentally I am spent, but spiritually I feel good. God is with me. What is a little fever compared to the love of God? What is the cost of a car repair compared to the debt He paid for me at Calvary? And how can I complain when I am able bodied? How dare I grumble when I have a car? And I have a job? And now I even have a raise to help me pay for the repair? I am blessed.

I have been in a spirit of worship today. We don’t have to feel physically well to worship. We can praise Him right where we’re at. He is worthy of so much more than we offer Him. He deserves our utter devotion. He is with us on every mountain top and He is with us in every valley. There is none beside Him. He is the mighty God and He is amazing. My heart is overwhelmed with love toward Him.

Thank you Lord for your love. For your mercy. For your holiness. Thank you for your light, your peace, your hope. Thank you Lord for the cross where you spilled your blood for me. Thank you for offering me the chance at forgiveness. No one knows how much I needed it, but you.

You are God. You are King. You are Savior. You alone be glorified!

In His Love,

Rebekah L.

When God Reaches for the Backslider

Dec11

Can God touch someone using a language the hearer has never learned?

The answer is yes! Yes, He can!

On Sundays I attend an American church in the mornings and a Chinese home church in the afternoons. As a result I often listen to Chinese worship music along with my usual English praise songs. At work the other day I was listening to one of my Chinese worship albums. I kind of forgot I had it on because it was set to a very low volume, just loud enough so that the silence wouldn’t drive me crazy. One of my Hispanic co-workers came by my office for assistance with something. He was talking about work issues for a few minutes when he suddenly stopped and seemed to be listening really hard. He asked me to turn the music up. I increased the volume and the song playing was called 你釘痕的手(Nǐ dīng hén de shǒu) which roughly translates to Your Nail-Scarred Hands. My co-worker listened pensively for a moment and said, “It’s really touching” and he asked me what language it was. I told him it was Chinese. He asked me what the song was about. I explained to him briefly that it was a Christian song and that it was about thinking of Jesus’ hands marked by the nails, His pain, how He heals our pain, and whatever pain we go through doesn’t compare to what He did for us. My co-worker’s eyes instantly filled with tears. He looked down and told me that he hasn’t been to church in 14 years. I told him it wasn’t too late to come back. He said that he didn’t think God would want him back. So I shared the story of the prodigal son with him and how the father rejoiced when his son came home and I told him that God loves him and is just waiting for him to come back. I invited him to come to my American church. I’m not sure if he’ll come because of the language barrier (he’s more comfortable with Spanish), but God has opened a door using a language this young man doesn’t even understand. It is clear that God is still reaching for this man and His Spirit transcends language and cultural barriers! Praise the Lord!

Jesus,

Thank you for your love and care for the lost sheep of this world. You are so worthy of our praise and adoration, Lord. Your enduring mercy continues to move me. Help me to be your hands and your feet and your mouth piece. I love you.

Rebekah L.

*Edit — Dear Readers, If you’re interested in hearing the song that was playing in my office when this conversation took place, I have posted it below. There are graphic images from The Passion of the Christ in this video so if that bothers you, you might not want to watch it. Be Blessed! In His Love, Rebekah L.