If you’ve been in a contemporary Christian church in the past three or so years then chances are you’ve heard the song “How He Loves”, made popular with worshipers everywhere by the David Crowder Band, Kim Walker and Jesus Culture, Anthony Evans (for my praise 102.5 folks) and every church in the Bible Belt. It’s a great song, perhaps one of my favorites to worship to. The words paint a picture of that indescribable feeling I get when I really think about how much God loves me.
He is jealous for me
Love's like a hurricane, and I am a tree
bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory
And I realize just how beautiful you are and how great your affections are for me…
He is jealous for me
Love's like a hurricane, and I am a tree
Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory
And I realize just how beautiful you are and how great your affections are for me.
Oh, and let’s not forget about those four little words that really bring it home;”Oh, How He Loves us Oh, Oh how He loves us, how He loves us Oh ” . Queue the tears, nose running and arm raising, swaying back and forth in peace and serenity. "We got a full body worshiper in row three" ( I kid because I know this is me sometimes lol! ) Some songs just float from the guitar bypass your ears and go straight to your heart.
But, there’s this one verse that gets me every time "If grace is an ocean, we're all sinking". I don't know about you, but when I think of grace, I think of it being the thing that keeps me from sinking. Grace, God's favor & kindness keeps me above the water and able to handle the raging seas of life. Now don't get me wrong; I've listened to this song so many times in the past two days and I still love it and will continue to listen to it, it really is a heart song. But isn't it by grace that we are even saved i.e. not sinking ? "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God," (Ephesians 2:8). If there's anything that's an ocean we're all sinking in, its fear.
But first, let us talk about sinking for a second, as I have significant (ahum...traumatic) experience in this subject hahaha! There are two times that I distinctly remember being in somebody’s pool and nearly drowning (sinking). I’ll share the most dramatic experience.
At about age six of seven I was in a beginner’s summer swim class. My mom enrolled me just as she did my older siblings a few years before me... So, on this particular day we were practicing our gliding. We were to push off the wall and glide across the pool into the safety of the instructors arms, then doggie paddle back (with help) to the wall and wait in line for our turn to come again. "Welllll", while the instructor was working with another child, me and my little "I can do whatever I want", prideful self told the little boy next to me "I bet I can glide better than you". Oh, And glide I did. What I didn't know was that gliding was all I could do, I couldn't swim yet! We know what happened next. I began to sink and drink… a nice refreshing glass of pool water . I guess the instructor heard my ferocious water splashing and probably my mother yelling "HELP MY CHILD!!” Because the next thing I know was on the side of the pool having that glass of pool water I drank Heimlich-ed out of me… Apparently pride doesn’t just come before destruction; it also comes before de-drowning ha! (See Proverbs 16:18). Think about that verse again "If grace is an ocean, we're all sinking"...is Grace like an ocean (or a pool in my case) ? If grace causes me to sink, then I'm sorry, but I don't want none. (thank God that's not the case and I'll take all the grace I can get).
A more appropriate analogy would be, “if fear is an ocean, then we're all sinking”. In my experience, fear tells you to tell God what is and isn't possible. "But God," you'll say "what will people think of
me" ? "I'm not smart enough, good enough, and cool enough. I won’t make enough money, I'm not young enough, skinny enough, old enough, Christian enough, qualified, prepared or whatever else enough… "umm.. Newsflash, sip yo tea and get ya life" !! You are not good enough, but our God is.
Like the gliding child (me) in the story above, there's only so much we can do ourselves. I could only glide, when I came to the end of my ability I began to fear and sink. BUT, with God there is not limit to what you can do. "The Limit Does not Exist !" Fear, like the pool water, will rush up all around you and leave you helpless. It's dangerous because it is the only thing (I can think of) that we hold on to as if it will take us somewhere, but in actuality is the very thing that keeps us from that place where God is leading us. Why not hold on to God from the beginning? God tells us that His Grace is enough, it will keep you floating above the water. Even when you're not smart enough, good enough, cool enough. His Grace will Keep you even when you don't make enough money, or you're not young, skinny, old, Christian, qualified or prepared enough.
Fear is a trap, a trick, a hoax, a fraud and a LIAR. Fear will keep you stuck where you are, going nowhere and wondering what if and maybe, but the Grace of God will keep you afloat and moving you forward.
"But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me."
2 Corinthians 12:9 (ESV).
You are a Culture of God’s Beloved people and God loves you too much to let you sink in an ocean of fear. I encourage you to put your faith in HIM rather than your fear. You’ll see what He is able to do to you and through you when you hold on to Him and not your fear.
He is jealous for me
Love's like a hurricane, and I am a tree
bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory
And I realize just how beautiful you are and how great your affections are for me…
He is jealous for me
Love's like a hurricane, and I am a tree
Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory
And I realize just how beautiful you are and how great your affections are for me.
Oh, and let’s not forget about those four little words that really bring it home;”Oh, How He Loves us Oh, Oh how He loves us, how He loves us Oh ” . Queue the tears, nose running and arm raising, swaying back and forth in peace and serenity. "We got a full body worshiper in row three" ( I kid because I know this is me sometimes lol! ) Some songs just float from the guitar bypass your ears and go straight to your heart.
But, there’s this one verse that gets me every time "If grace is an ocean, we're all sinking". I don't know about you, but when I think of grace, I think of it being the thing that keeps me from sinking. Grace, God's favor & kindness keeps me above the water and able to handle the raging seas of life. Now don't get me wrong; I've listened to this song so many times in the past two days and I still love it and will continue to listen to it, it really is a heart song. But isn't it by grace that we are even saved i.e. not sinking ? "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God," (Ephesians 2:8). If there's anything that's an ocean we're all sinking in, its fear.
But first, let us talk about sinking for a second, as I have significant (ahum...traumatic) experience in this subject hahaha! There are two times that I distinctly remember being in somebody’s pool and nearly drowning (sinking). I’ll share the most dramatic experience.
At about age six of seven I was in a beginner’s summer swim class. My mom enrolled me just as she did my older siblings a few years before me... So, on this particular day we were practicing our gliding. We were to push off the wall and glide across the pool into the safety of the instructors arms, then doggie paddle back (with help) to the wall and wait in line for our turn to come again. "Welllll", while the instructor was working with another child, me and my little "I can do whatever I want", prideful self told the little boy next to me "I bet I can glide better than you". Oh, And glide I did. What I didn't know was that gliding was all I could do, I couldn't swim yet! We know what happened next. I began to sink and drink… a nice refreshing glass of pool water . I guess the instructor heard my ferocious water splashing and probably my mother yelling "HELP MY CHILD!!” Because the next thing I know was on the side of the pool having that glass of pool water I drank Heimlich-ed out of me… Apparently pride doesn’t just come before destruction; it also comes before de-drowning ha! (See Proverbs 16:18). Think about that verse again "If grace is an ocean, we're all sinking"...is Grace like an ocean (or a pool in my case) ? If grace causes me to sink, then I'm sorry, but I don't want none. (thank God that's not the case and I'll take all the grace I can get).
A more appropriate analogy would be, “if fear is an ocean, then we're all sinking”. In my experience, fear tells you to tell God what is and isn't possible. "But God," you'll say "what will people think of
me" ? "I'm not smart enough, good enough, and cool enough. I won’t make enough money, I'm not young enough, skinny enough, old enough, Christian enough, qualified, prepared or whatever else enough… "umm.. Newsflash, sip yo tea and get ya life" !! You are not good enough, but our God is.
Like the gliding child (me) in the story above, there's only so much we can do ourselves. I could only glide, when I came to the end of my ability I began to fear and sink. BUT, with God there is not limit to what you can do. "The Limit Does not Exist !" Fear, like the pool water, will rush up all around you and leave you helpless. It's dangerous because it is the only thing (I can think of) that we hold on to as if it will take us somewhere, but in actuality is the very thing that keeps us from that place where God is leading us. Why not hold on to God from the beginning? God tells us that His Grace is enough, it will keep you floating above the water. Even when you're not smart enough, good enough, cool enough. His Grace will Keep you even when you don't make enough money, or you're not young, skinny, old, Christian, qualified or prepared enough.
Fear is a trap, a trick, a hoax, a fraud and a LIAR. Fear will keep you stuck where you are, going nowhere and wondering what if and maybe, but the Grace of God will keep you afloat and moving you forward.
"But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me."
2 Corinthians 12:9 (ESV).
You are a Culture of God’s Beloved people and God loves you too much to let you sink in an ocean of fear. I encourage you to put your faith in HIM rather than your fear. You’ll see what He is able to do to you and through you when you hold on to Him and not your fear.