Everything

As I've had a few weeks of this new routine of fasting and praying, God has made some things very clear to me. One of them has to do with a song that we've started singing at church the past few months. Read these lyrics, then off to the side I've noted some things that weigh on my heart as I think about these lyrics.


EVERYTHING By: Tim Hughes
GOD IN MY LIVING
THERE IN MY BREATHING
GOD IN MY WAKING
GOD IN MY SLEEPING

GOD IN MY RESTING
THERE IN MY WORKING
GOD IN MY THINKING
GOD IN MY SPEAKING

CHORUS:
BE MY EVERYTHING
BE MY EVERYTHING
BE MY EVERYTHING
BE MY EVERYTHING

VERSE 2:
GOD IN MY HOPING (Malachi)
THERE IN MY DREAMING (Malachi)
GOD IN MY WATCHING
GOD IN MY WAITING (Malachi)

GOD IN MY LAUGHING
THERE IN MY WEEPING
GOD IN MY HURTING (Other life things at the moment)
GOD IN MY HEALING

BRIDGE:
CHRIST IN ME
CHRIST IN ME
CHRIST IN ME THE HOPE OF GLORY (What does this line mean? I've been pondering...)
YOU ARE EVERYTHING

CHRIST IN ME
CHRIST IN ME
CHRIST IN ME THE HOPE OF GLORY
BE MY EVERYTHING

The song really says it all better than I could, and definitely take a few minutes to listen to it (I've attached the link at the end of this post.) I've clung a lot to this song lately. And as for the line that says "Christ in me the Hope of Glory"... well that's one of those lines that I bet most of us just sing along with in church without taking much time to really consider its meaning. Who cares about the meaning....the sweet guitar rif sends chills down our spine. (kidding, I know nothing about guitar rifs, just ask Danny and Brian). My point is, it's a song that makes you FEEL like you are in the presence of God. So, I figure, if I'm going to be in the presence of God, I better try and understand "why", so I've got something to hold on to when the "feeling" passes. So, Christ in me....the Hope of Glory. Nothing I do apart from Him in me has any lasting glory. Even adopting a child from Ethiopia. Apart from Him...meaningless. Then there is the whole idea of a future glory that we wait for upon being with Christ.... yeah, I stink at describing Glory. It's in so many songs... Aaron...could you blog about that please, you're the worship pastor here. :) I've been reading a book recently that explains it in great depth as well. I'm still trying to wrap my brain around it however. The book is call A Quest for More by Paul David Tripp. Highly recommend it. All this to say, this song has brought me great encouragement, and many tears too.

As for the other HUGE revelation....simple, but huge. God has reminded me that I have the ability to CHOOSE JOY !!! He placed that ability in me, He is that ability. In the waiting, in my hoping, dreaming, and hurting ... I can choose joy. The Enemy lies to me every day and every moment that He tries to tell me I should let this ruin my day, week, month. Every time He tells me I can't do this another day. Every time he tells me that someone is to blame for me waiting so long. Lies lies lies. I choose joy! That doesn't mean that I don't mind the wait, or that I'm good with waiting until winter to get Malachi. No, it just means that if that were to happen, I have joy still. Besides, when I'm holding Malachi in my arms, no amount of wait time will have mattered any longer. So why let it get to me now????

Well, I'm going to go choose joy in scrubbing my toilets and mopping my floors. Mom Britton is coming tonight, and I would hate for her to see the pig sty her grandkids are used to living in. (See, it's not just the big things I have to be joyful about, it's EVERYTHING....He's my EVERYTHING.)