Music Blog

Witnesses

Isaiah 43:11-12 says:

"I, I am the LORD, and besides me there is no savior.
I declared and saved and proclaimed, when there was no strange god among you; and you are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "and I am God."

These verses are such an encouragement to me. They remind me that there is One God who is Holy, Mighty, Powerful, and Awesome beyond our comprehension - this is revelation.

They also remind me that this Holy, Righteous, Sovereign God of the universe has chosen to save people from the horrible punishment due them as a result of their rebellion against his reign - this is grace.

They also remind me that He is the only way  - through the work of Jesus - to be saved from the just and deserved consequences of my sin - this is mercy.

They also remind me that He chose to rescue sinners like me - by taking our punishment for us - before we had even chased after the countless counterfeit gods that captured our attention - this is love.

They furthermore remind me that not only did he graciously and kindly accept me into his family, but he allows me to take part in the rescue mission for others that He is pursuing. He calls me to be his witness to a dark and sad world - this is generosity.

When I'm reminded of truths like that, I have no appropriate options for response apart from worship. That worship might sometimes look like singing loud songs of joy. It might sometimes look like stunned and silent meditation. It might sometimes look like tearful prayers of thanks. It might other times look like obedient and faithful witnessing to a lost friend or family member or stranger. But worship, in it's various forms, is the only appropriate response to glimpses of God's grace, mercy, kindness and generosity.

And when we gather on Sundays, it is our prayer that we glimpse God in all his holiness, grace, mercy, kindness, we respond with the various appropriate acts of worship that ought to flow from his revelation of himself. The initial response is a corporate response of singing together, and then that is to flow into a week of various acts of worship in response to the revelation of our God.

Here are the songs and Scriptures that we trust will lead us into this rhythm of revelation and response this Sunday:

Be Strong, Take Courage, Don't Fear

Psalm 27 opens with these words:

"The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold[a] of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?"

And then it closes with these:

"Wait for the Lord;
    be strong, and let your heart take courage;
    wait for the Lord!"

Regardless of what you are facing right now, of how difficult it is, of how long it has been, of how hopeless it seems, if you have put your faith in Jesus, then the Lord is the stronghold of your life as well! Just like the psalmist, you can rejoice and take courage and wait for the deliverance of a God who doesn't just promise to protect you out of some sense of duty, but who loves you with an everlasting love. 

This Sunday, we'll kick off our series in Daniel, and one of the themes you'll notice in the book is that many of Daniel's circumstances don't seem to make a lot of sense. He's often the victim of seemingly unfair treatment. And he has some peers who betray him and some friends who stick by him, but in the end, the God who called him part of his family will not allow his sovereign plans to fail. He works in Daniel's life to provide a powerful testimony to those all around him.

That is God's promise to each of his children...He has good and merciful plans for each of us and his plans never fail. We'll celebrate the faithful and steadfast nature of God this weekend, because we all need to be reminded to take courage and put our hope in God again and again.

Here are the songs and scriptures that will make up our service:

And here's a Spotify Playlist of the songs we'll be singing so you can come ready to join your voice with us on Sunday!