As some of you may know, I am a closet worship leader. I LOVE worship music. It is uplifting, beautiful, inspiring, motivating, the list goes on. For me, worship music has been a great source of strength, keeping me moving forward over the last several months with one test of Faith after another. And I'm not kidding when I say it has been a tremendous help when it comes to working out! I have a really good 45 minute playlist and I can do my cardio workout to worship with no problem. The only trick is to not get into the worship too much! It's not a good thing to close your eyes and raise your hands when you are on an elyptical or treadmill, or running a track, or really any movement with your eyes closed! Seriously though, the Lord speaks to me during my workouts when I listen to worship!
My song of the moment is "Hosanna" recorded by Hillsongs. I've been disecting it for about a month now, and to my glorious surprise, Libby Julian sang it a few Sunday nights ago, and then again the following Sunday morning. If you haven't heard the song, google it. It is so good. And I'm not just talking rhythm, instruments and voices. I'm talking the words! I spoke earlier in the month about how we need to focus on what we are singing and not just singing a pretty song. We need to focus on the anointed words in the songs we sing!
Take the first part of the song:
I see a generation
Rising up to take their place
With selfless faith, With selfless faith
I see a near revival
Stirring as we pray and seek
We're on our knees, We're on our knees
This is what the author saw when writing the song. What does it mean to you? To me, when I sing it, I can literally picture Faith Christian Assembly taking their place as a leader in our community saving lives, bringing revival to our community, our county, our state, our country through worship, intercession, evangelism, the list goes on.
Now this is the part that really chokes me up:
Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like you have loved me
Break my heart for what breaks yours
Everything I am for your kingdom's cause
As I go from nothing to Eternity
Now really think about that. We are asking Him to show us how to love like He has loved us. I don't even love my friends and family the way He loves me. I'm just being honest! And then the clencher for me, "Break my heart for what breaks yours"...that is something powerful! I am brought to tears every time. Yes, even at the Y surrounded by strangers, it is everything I can do to not totally lose it! When I get to that part of the song, it is tough to really sing it. I think of people who I don't want to love like He loves me. There is one particular person who is living it up, a life full of sin, doing whatever she can to bring pain and hurt to my family. Every time I sing that line (quietly of course, I don't want anyone to hear me sing!), I think of this woman who I never want to think about. I think about how God's heart is breaking because her actions breaks mine. But his heart is also breaking for her. How it hurts Him to see her throw her life away and live so recklessly. Then I think about how singing that line means I'm asking God to have my heart break like His does. He isn't heartbroken and wanting revenge. His heart is breaking because He just wants to rescue her into His arms, forgive her for everything she is doing and has done and just wipe her slate clean with no revenge or hard feelings! How many of us feel this way towards our "worst enemies"?
I looked up the definition of Hosanna. I mean, really, I knew it meant to praise Him, but I wanted to see what else it said. When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, the people shouted "Hosanna" while waving palm branches. Back then it meant, "Save us" or "deliver us". Apparently over the years the translation became simply, "a declaration of praise". When the chorus of "Hosanna" plays, I can picture myself in the crowd, waving my branch, shouting along with them. I can see Him on the donkey, waving to me, signifying that He heard me! When the crowd was shouting "Hosanna" they were praising Him, knowing He would save them.
I know this is a simple E-votional. But, a relationship with God is that simple. My purpose and challenge in the devotional is not to just share with you how I love worship music and this song, but to cause you think next time you worship. Think about the words and what they mean. Don't just sing "Break my heart for what breaks yours". Mean it. And if you don't mean it, don't sing it. Just as your heart might be breaking from pain that has been inflicted upon you, His heart is breaking because yours is breaking, and He just wants to wrap you up in His arms, if you'll let Him.
Verses: Psalm 118:24-26; Matthew 21:9; John 12
