A Song Blog: Part 1

A better title for this blog might be, “A Lyrics Blog,” because in all reality, I actually listen to music for the lyrics more than anything else.

And this week, I listened to a couple songs that I had either never heard before or just never paid attention to, and I really liked them. Maybe they just really hit home with me at this point in my life, but I thought I’d share them.

First off, “Shadows” by David Crowder Band.

Life is full of light and shadows

Oh the joy, and oh the sorrow, oh the sorrow

And yet will he bring, dark to light

And yet will he bring, day from night

When shadows fall on us, we will not fear

We will remember

When darkness falls on us, we will not fear

We will remember

When all seems lost, when we're thrown and we're tossed

We remember the cost,

We rest within the shadow of the cross

I wrote recently in my journal something that I had heard a long time ago: “We don’t know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”

Darkness encircles us. Shadow overtakes us. But we are not shaken. We refuse to stop running the race. We will not be moved.

And what is the secret to perseverance?

To keep our eyes on Jesus.

We cannot get caught up in our own suffering or hardships when we look at him on the cross.

Impossible.

When I think about the prize, and not just the one in heaven, but actually seeing Jesus Christ himself as a prize, I cannot be beat down. I might be bruised, but I will not go down for the count. I refuse to quit running the race.

I was reading Philippians this week, and a commentary to go with it, and the author of this commentary points out that in chapter 1 verse 7, we see the only time Paul refers to suffering and hardship as GRACE.

The Philippians share in God’s grace along with Paul. Now, Paul is writing to them from prison. He knows suffering, and yet he talks about it being GRACE!

Oh to see my hardships as GRACE!

Because most of the time, I don’t. When something difficult is going on at home, or we have a tough day of work, or I am sick, I see it as really unfortunate things. I see attacks from the enemy. I don’t see blessings. I don’t see God’s grace working in my life.

But they are grace. Shadow is grace. Suffering is grace. As long as I am continuing in this “partnership of the gospel” as Paul says, everything I experience for the sake of Christ is grace.

As long as I still get the privilege of seeing Jesus, it’s all grace.