Key of Be

Getting the right perspective down by the river, Depot Square.

"All that I am, praise the Lord; everything in me, praise His holy name." (Psalm 103:1)

A timeless prayer…

I really don’t care if the songs are the latest and greatest

Or 20 years old, or 200

Each day, just help me to choose to pick up my harp of David

Even if that harp is a shaky voice on a cold winter morning

Seated or standing

And whether I feel like it or not

In sighs, in a happy groove, or ridiculously off-key—doesn’t matter

Just awake my soul to go Vertical

Let simple words and melody draw my eyes and heart Upward

Where they belong

Each note, each word, building a crescendo of faith

In who You are and what is True

To be reminded once more of Your amazing grace and endless love

Because this stubborn heart is prone to wander, Lord I feel it,

Every 30 seconds

Words ancient or lyrics modern, doesn’t matter

So long as they are life-fueling Truth and everlasting ropes to hold onto:

Great Is Thy Faithfulness…

Your Love, Oh Lord, Reaches to the Heavens…

Your Grace Is Enough….

But the greatest of these is Love

"So amazing, so Divine—demands my soul, my life, my all"

Every day, let me fill up my heart with these and more for this Great Adventure

Over mountain tops and through potholes, in sun and rain,

En route to the finish line…which really isn’t a finish at all

Because the song within will never end

But along the way, let me remember to exhale praise in every season

So I can keep breathing in deeply

The rarefied air of Your tangible presence in every step of this Journey

The rarified, pure, refreshing air that is like a brisk January morning

That is the mysterious, jaw-dropping power of Your Name

That Name…that alone can slake every parched thirst and dry season

That Name…that alone can reawaken awareness of entirely practical yet supernatural

Faith, hope, and love—wherever I go, even here

Alive in this time, this place, for one purpose only:

To walk each day with You in Your unlikeliest of mission fields

To sing to my soul of Your mercies for as long as I have breath

So that it comes out my pores

So that I may somehow reflect the Song that’s within to someone, anyone out there

Who maybe hasn’t heard it yet

Or feels adrift and confused in 5/4 time

Or, who simply needs to be lifted out of a minor key

To just… be.

“The way we perceive Jesus affects the way we live, and how expectantly we face our daily lives. If we have a huge and uncompromising view of Him, it'll lead to adventurous and exciting lives of faith.”—Matt Redman

[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED 1-26-14]