You Were There

Yesterday I had a playlist of Addison Road, MercyMe and Avalon that I was listening to.  For some reason I stopped at this song and listened to it a couple times:  You Were There.  (I have included the lyrics and the song itself below.)  This song has always stood out to me, probably because the large crescendo at the end followed by the dramatic diminuendo.  I love when songs have some variance toward the end.  But I decided to read the words to the song, and I was sort of blown away by them.

I’m not really sure how to start talking about this and what I’ve pulled away from it without it sounding like a random hodgepodge of ideas smashed together.  Of course, the overall theme or message of the song is that God was there…but He wasn’t just there, He was/is there ALWAYS.  I think it’s sort of hard to personalize the stories in the Bible, and realize that the same God that was working, moving, and speaking to David and Abraham IS the same God who is working, moving, and speaking to me.

 

“You were there in the midst of the unclear…You were there when obedience seemed to not make sense…” – For me these two lines are what I realize I’ve been thinking about a lot lately.  There is so much of God that doesn’t make sense.  There is so much that he asks us to do where we don’t want to follow.

• - Baptism doesn’t make sense.
• - It doesn’t make sense why I should do the forgiveness project, I don’t have a problem with forgiveness.
  
• - It doesn’t make sense why I should have to forgive at all.
  
• - It doesn’t make sense that as I guy I should have stronger male friendships then female friendships.
  
• - It doesn’t make sense why I should always question and check scripture after hearing a sermon or advice from a friend.
  
• - It doesn’t make sense why I need to ask advice at all.
  
• - It doesn’t make sense why I should try to talk to random people about faith/religion.
  
• - It doesn’t make sense why I should give up my Spring Break to serve people.
  
• - It doesn’t make sense why I have to give any of my money to God/others.

I could go on and on, but it goes back to:  “So haven’t I learned that my ways aren’t as high as Yours are...You are God and though we would not have understood You, there You were.”

How is God still with us when we’re in the midst of danger?  How is God with us in the midst of the unclear?  How is God with us when obedience seemed to not make sense?

 

The lines that create the most vivid pictures in my head are:  “You ALONE keep the universe from crumbing into dust…[and still]…You would RATHER die than leave us in the dark.”  This is the reason He is always there.  This is the reason we need to reach out to be comforted by Him when all else seems to be crumbling.  This is why we need to be obedient even when things are unclear and when being obedient to HIM doesn’t make sense.

It still boggles me why a God who is SOOO much larger than the universe, who keeps it from crumbling into dust, would EVER come down to this earth, to limit Himself so greatly, to allow Himself to be butchered blamelessly on a cross.  This is the greatest reason that we should do absolutely EVERYTHING He desires.

Going back to what I mentioned in the beginning about the God in the Bible being the same as the God of today, the last stanza of the song to me is just a Beautiful picture of who God REALLY IS.  I think each of those statements are truly, so profound.

• - He was there during history’s darkest hour
  
• - He was there ALWAYS
  
• - He was the Victor and the King
  
• - He was the power in David’s swing
  
• - He was the calm in Abraham
  
• - He is the God who understands
  
• - He is the strength when we have none
  
• - He is the living, Holy One
  
• - He was, He is, and He will always be The Risen Lamb of God
  

 

Here is one last random thought:  It is so easy to miss seeing God at work.  It is so easy to look at people today and stories in the Bible long ago and say they are such great people because they follow God and were obedient and did great things.  I think the moment we think THAT, we have missed the reason why we were created, we have missed the meaning of our existence.  In every situation where someone has been obedient to God or has followed Him, we really should be seeing God in that and them.  We should be praising HIM.

Melissa was baptized this last Thursday!  It was wonderful that she was willing to share that with her friends, and I wouldn’t trade being there for anything.  But something Brandon said struck me...he said something to the affect of, “We have been saying great things and encouraging Melissa; however, we cannot miss who we should be truly praising and glorifying tonight.  We should be praising God because He would CHOOSE to save someone like Melisa.  We should be praising God because He would CHOOSE to save people like us.”

I guess that hit me because I don’t know if thoughts like that were even passing through my head that night.  It’s the same when we sit together and someone asks, “Where have you seen God working?” and everyone sits quietly.  When I think about it later, it hurts me so much that I cannot or do not think of many ways I’ve seen God working.  There are two possibilities for this.  It is either, one, because I am not really trying to see where God has been working.  I see things for their face value and do not see that God is behind them in the first place.  Or, second, because I am not really participating much in Christ’s mission.  I DON’T KNOW what God looks like or how God really works.

Those are slightly scary thoughts for me, but it is so comforting to know that even in the midst of me thinking those thoughts and even in the midst of my every move, God IS and will ALWAYS BE THERE!

 

You Were There

Avalon

I wonder how it must have felt
When David stood to face Goliath on a hill
I imagine that he shook with all his might
Until You took his hand, and held on tight

'Cause You were there, You were there
In the midst of danger's snare
You were there, You were there always
You were there when the hardest fight
Seemed so out of reach
Oh, You were there, You were always there
You were always there

So there he stood upon that hill
Abraham with knife in hand was poised to kill
But God in all his sovereignty had bigger plans
And just in time, You brought a lamb

'Cause You were there,
You were there
In the midst of the unclear
You were there, you were there always
You were there when obedience
Seemed to not make sense
You were there, You were always there
You were always there

So haven't I learned that my ways
Aren't as high as Yours are
And You alone keep the universe
From crumbling into dust
You are God and though we would
Not have understood You
There You were

Hanging blameless on a cross
You would rather die than leave us in the dark
Every moment, every planned coincidence
Just all makes sense
With Your last breath

You were there, You were there
During history’s darkest hour
You were there, You were there always
You were the Victor and the King
You were the power in David's swing
You were the calm in Abraham
You are the God who understands
You are the strength when we have none
You are the living, Holy one
You were, You are and You will always be
the Risen Lamb of God

You were, You are and You will always be
The Risen Lamb of God