As I sit here in front of my computer on Sunday afternoon staring at the blank screen, wondering what I am going to write, I decide to plug in my headphones and listen to a little music on iTunes. Outside the skies are darkening, the wind is blowing and a storm is on the way. Above the sound of the thunder and wind I hear the following words.
Beautiful, is the name of all names. Merciful, to the weak and ashamed. Grace will fall like rain, On the broken and afraid. And love will set them free. Worthy, worthy, worthy, is the lamb that was slain. Holy, Holy, Holy is the everlasting name. Forever and forevermore shall reign, Holy.
As I listened to the words of the song, the storm grew in intensity outside of the house. But I kept hearing these words echo in my mind. ”Worthy, worthy, worthy is the lamb that was slain. Holy, Holy, Holy is the everlasting name.” With tears in my eyes I am reminded of how blessed I am to have a God who would sacrifice His Son so that I could be saved. He was worthy, I am not. But that is the definition of grace. I am not worthy but that doesn’t matter to Him. In His eyes each of us are worthy. We are worthy of being saved. We are worthy of spending eternity worshiping Him. We are worthy of the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for us. That’s some pretty amazing stuff.
In his book, Subversive Kingdom, Ed Stetzer gives us this definition of the gospel:
The gospel is the good news that God, who is more holy than we can imagine, looked with compassion upon people who are more sinful than we would possibly admit, and sent Jesus into history to establish his kingdom and reconcile people and the world to himself. Jesus, whose love is more extravagant than we can measure, came to sacrificially die for us so that by his death and resurrection, we might gain through his grace what the Bible defines as new and eternal life. - Stetzer, Ed (2012-03-30). Subversive Kingdom: Living as Agents of Gospel Transformation (p. 128). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
I love this definition and I think that it really speaks to the emotions that this song evokes in me. While listening to this music this afternoon I took time to reflect on the Holiness of God. He is more holy than we can imagine. He is more forgiving that we can imagine. And He is more compassionate that we can imagine. And for that I am eternally grateful. Fortunately for me, He is also more patient that I can imagine because I must admit that I do not always give the thanks and praise that I should.
As the winds outside subsided, the thunder grew distant and the rain slowed to a trickle it became clear from reports on television that portions of our area were severely affected by this afternoon’s weather. In just a few minutes the day changed from a bright, hot, summer afternoon to a dark and dangerous stormy day. There have been several people in our area that lost their lives this afternoon. These people were just moments earlier enjoying their Sunday afternoon and suddenly the lives of their families changed forever, and without warning their lives were ended and they were gone. I feel for each of these families and they are in my prayers tonight. However, this sudden storm serves as a reminder to all of us of how quickly things can change in our lives. These storms remind us that nothing that we have here on earth is forever. In an instant everything that we have can be gone.
Regardless of this fact, we take comfort in the knowledge that Jesus Christ is forever. Forever and forevermore, what a perfect title for this song. What a perfect description of Jesus Christ. He is the perfect lamb of God. He is with us, forever and forevermore.
If you would like to hear the song that inspired these ramblings on a summer afternoon, click on the icon below. You will be taken to Our Hearts Hero’s MySpace page where you can hear the song.
If you would like to find out more about this band and their music you can check out their website: OurHeartsHero.com
Or you can purchase their latest album Shine On on iTunes.
You may also be interested in these posts.
Ironing With God
Grace Re-Thought
Carol of the Bells
