17 July, 2012

You'll Come

I have decided, I have resolved
To wait upon the Lord
My Rock and redeemer, my shield and reward
I'll wait upon the Lord

I've personally never really understood this song. Honestly, I can say there are a lot of songs that I sing but don't really know why or what they mean. I think about that and am almost ashamed that I may lead people into Worship, but still not have an understanding of the words I am singing. That is the whole the point of this blog series, so we can understand what we sing.
When actually looking at this song, it's all about God coming to our rescue when we are in need, and there is a strong sense of waiting on the Lord. The idea is that there is comfort in relying on Christ to supply all our needs. However, for me at least, the idea of waiting on the Lord never really made any sense. What does Psalm 27:14 mean when it says, "Wait for the Lord; Be strong, and let your heart take courage; Yes wait for the Lord."
The chorus of the song gives the reassurance that the Christian finds encouraging.

You'll come, let Your glory fall
As You respond to us
Spirit rain, flood into our thirsty hearts again
You'll come, You'll come.

This song is so practical, as if it is just showing us how we are to live our lives. Instead of having a sermon on waiting on the Lord, this song tells us that He will come to our rescue. However, it is as if the writer is feeling the lack of Christ, as if he or she has lost touch with God. The song turns and says that if you wait on the Lord, then in His timing, He will respond, pour down His Spirit, and fill our thirsty hearts.
It is true that sometimes we desire that God would be with us, but we don't very well feel Him next to us. The bridge tells us that there are chains, lives that need to be healed, and eyes that need opening. The only way this is possible is if Christ is revealed.
When you sing this song, I want you to think of things in your life that seem uncertain, or things that are unknown completely. My college future is so musky, that I must wait on the Lord to work in the situation. For me, waiting on the Lord is chasing after Him and knowing Him more that He would have complete control in my situation. There is strength for those who wait on the Lord. I leave you will Isaiah 40:31, which says,
"Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; They will mount up on wings like eagles; They will run and not get tired; They will walk and not become weary."
So wait on the Lord and remember to do so when we hear the words of this song. - Forsake All

Christ In Me

Christ in Me is a song written by School of Worship, that we play in our youth sometimes... Okay, a lot. I wanted to look at this song pretty in depth to see the meaning behind it. We all know those songs that sound amazing, have awesome guitar riffs, and we jump up and down too, but what is the difference between that and music? Well, the words are probably the most differing thing. However, I don't think they are completely and fully understood.
The verse lyrics are as follows,
Christ in Me, the hope of glory
He has come to set the captive free
This power and love displayed for all to see
It's Christ in me, the hope of glory

Galatians  2:20 says, "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me."
However, the verse this song is probably originally centered around is Colossians 1:27, which says, "To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."
The passage this comes from is verses 24-29, where Paul is telling the Colossians that they were appointed to go and tell others about the "Joy that is within you." Paul says that they are to teach people of the wisdom and knowledge of Christ so that they may be made perfect in Christ Jesus.
This song then takes on a completely different meaning. Instead of just singing it because of the greatness of the music or the intensity of the drum builds and guitar riffs, we should sing this song always, everywhere. Let me see if the Chorus and the bridge can explain this further.

We lift You up, higher and higher
We shout as one, Your Holy choir
We proclaim that You are God.

There is no one like our God
There is no one like You

This is a proclamation we make not just to God, but to others. We are saying that we will praise God and lift up His name even when we are not in a church service, but in our schools and in our homes. Paul spoke about making Christ's name known throughout the earth and He shared this with the Colossians. He told the Colossians about his sufferings for the sake of Christ, and the they should also do what it takes to proclaim the Christ that is in them to the unbelievers.
So when we sing this, understand that it's not just a battle cry, or an "upbeat" song, but it's a proclamation that we will lift God's name higher and higher, in order to first praise Him, and then secondly make Him known to others. - Forsake All