Oceans
Guest post from my husband...
Have you ever heard a song several times only to later truly listen to the words and it hits you like you'd never even heard it before? This happened to me this week with a Hillsong United track called "Oceans". I'm traveling for work so in the evenings I usually don't watch very much tv, I listen to music...I love music, I mean seriously love music. I have never had the focus to stick with one instrument long enough to learn to play anything well but I love listening to music. So back to Oceans; I wanted to take the time to dissect the lyrics and really understand why they resonated in such a powerful way. These thoughts are not meant to represent what I think the songwriters meant, only what they've been saying to me.
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
Have you ever felt a calling from God so strong? It's so clear but at the same time there is a mystery to it, you know He's calling you to something but it's not clear at first. We second guess, we hesitate but then we take that step of faith and we meet God and see Him like never before. In oceans deep My faith will stand...we know our faith in Christ will sustain us no matter our circumstances. No matter whats around us, we can stand because He has called us there.
(Chorus)
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
When the disciples saw Jesus walking toward them on the water Peter says "Lord, if it's you, tell me to come to you on the water." So Jesus invites Peter to come. Peter gets out of the boat and begins walking on the water toward Jesus. While Peter was focused on Christ he could achieve something that was seemingly impossible to man. This was during a storm on the water, not a calm environment here, sometimes we just want the storm to calm first; we want things to be safe and reassurance that everything is going to be alright. But Peter didn't care, he stepped out keeping his eyes on Jesus and felt safe.
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
Peter took his eyes off of Jesus, he was fully aware of his surroundings and not only that, he feared. When we fear earthly circumstances we basically forget that God has control over everything. We look around, we let our focus fall from Jesus to something else and before we know it we've messed up. We have sinned and to get back up it takes God's grace and His Sovereign Hand. We will never stop sinning just by trying to stop sinning, our feet will fail again and again bust if we walk in the Spirit He will never fail us. When Peter called upon His name, Jesus immediately reaches out His hand and catches Peter. I love that last part, He's never failed and He never will!
(Chorus)
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
Now this is a chorus we may sing but do we mean it? Be very careful here because if we truly mean this chorus, it will mean getting out of our comfort zone. It may mean leaving safety, it may mean leaving those we love, it may mean going where most people would not dare but at the end our faith is made stronger. In Matthew 8:18-22 we see that there is a cost to following Christ. I used to think this was harsh, I used to think this was not fair...I would read the story of Abraham carrying Isaac up on the mountain and think, wow now that was just cruel. But there is a higher calling. Following Christ and loving Christ makes other loves look like hate. Now I didn't say those other loves were hate but in comparison they don't even come close. This kind of love only comes through the Spirit, through faith in Christ. Abraham had faith that God would provide...read the story again and see where over and over Abraham knew that God would provide. Like when Isaac asked him where the lamb was, Abraham replied that God would provide or when he told his servants that "we" will go worship and "WE" will come back to you. At the end, our faith will indeed be made stronger...in the end we will be in the presence of our Savior and at the end of this journey it will be the beginning of life with the Father. Will we look back at our comfortable lives and wish we had answered the call or will we look back and recall how we did and how it made a difference in someone who is now with you in Heaven because you answered that call?
Have you ever heard a song several times only to later truly listen to the words and it hits you like you'd never even heard it before? This happened to me this week with a Hillsong United track called "Oceans". I'm traveling for work so in the evenings I usually don't watch very much tv, I listen to music...I love music, I mean seriously love music. I have never had the focus to stick with one instrument long enough to learn to play anything well but I love listening to music. So back to Oceans; I wanted to take the time to dissect the lyrics and really understand why they resonated in such a powerful way. These thoughts are not meant to represent what I think the songwriters meant, only what they've been saying to me.
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
Have you ever felt a calling from God so strong? It's so clear but at the same time there is a mystery to it, you know He's calling you to something but it's not clear at first. We second guess, we hesitate but then we take that step of faith and we meet God and see Him like never before. In oceans deep My faith will stand...we know our faith in Christ will sustain us no matter our circumstances. No matter whats around us, we can stand because He has called us there.
(Chorus)
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
When the disciples saw Jesus walking toward them on the water Peter says "Lord, if it's you, tell me to come to you on the water." So Jesus invites Peter to come. Peter gets out of the boat and begins walking on the water toward Jesus. While Peter was focused on Christ he could achieve something that was seemingly impossible to man. This was during a storm on the water, not a calm environment here, sometimes we just want the storm to calm first; we want things to be safe and reassurance that everything is going to be alright. But Peter didn't care, he stepped out keeping his eyes on Jesus and felt safe.
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
Peter took his eyes off of Jesus, he was fully aware of his surroundings and not only that, he feared. When we fear earthly circumstances we basically forget that God has control over everything. We look around, we let our focus fall from Jesus to something else and before we know it we've messed up. We have sinned and to get back up it takes God's grace and His Sovereign Hand. We will never stop sinning just by trying to stop sinning, our feet will fail again and again bust if we walk in the Spirit He will never fail us. When Peter called upon His name, Jesus immediately reaches out His hand and catches Peter. I love that last part, He's never failed and He never will!
(Chorus)
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
Now this is a chorus we may sing but do we mean it? Be very careful here because if we truly mean this chorus, it will mean getting out of our comfort zone. It may mean leaving safety, it may mean leaving those we love, it may mean going where most people would not dare but at the end our faith is made stronger. In Matthew 8:18-22 we see that there is a cost to following Christ. I used to think this was harsh, I used to think this was not fair...I would read the story of Abraham carrying Isaac up on the mountain and think, wow now that was just cruel. But there is a higher calling. Following Christ and loving Christ makes other loves look like hate. Now I didn't say those other loves were hate but in comparison they don't even come close. This kind of love only comes through the Spirit, through faith in Christ. Abraham had faith that God would provide...read the story again and see where over and over Abraham knew that God would provide. Like when Isaac asked him where the lamb was, Abraham replied that God would provide or when he told his servants that "we" will go worship and "WE" will come back to you. At the end, our faith will indeed be made stronger...in the end we will be in the presence of our Savior and at the end of this journey it will be the beginning of life with the Father. Will we look back at our comfortable lives and wish we had answered the call or will we look back and recall how we did and how it made a difference in someone who is now with you in Heaven because you answered that call?
Comments
Post a Comment