Free Download - O Come, O Come Emmanuel

Well, I just finished a little Christmas single of my own. O Come, O Come Emmanuel has always been one of my favorite Christmas tunes, so I thought I'd record my own low-budget rendition and offer it here for free. Hey, I'm a sucker for freebies just like the next guy. So, here it is. Hope you enjoy. Share it with a friend.

Free Download from Phil Joel

Here's a great new free Christmas tune from Phil Joel. Go download it right now at philjoel.com.

ATG

ATG is here and we're pumped about how people are already using it to get the gospel message to their friends and family. Join the Facebook Group and follow the stories of life-change that's going to happen through this project. And go check out the website, allthatglitterscd.com where you can order CDs and catch a glimpse of what the whole thing is all about. You can also listen to some clips on purevolume.com. Thanks so much for the overwhelming support of this project already. Blessings. .j.v.

Graham Parker, the next Tomlin

Just got back from Round Oak Baptist Church in Fredricksburg, VA with my dad. Had a great week of ministry. We finished up last night with a bang. Dad and I did "All That Glitters" live. It turned out pretty good, although I knew what the songs should sound like with the full band. But the acoustic version sufficed I guess. (Apart from the guy doing the singing :) But the Lord used it nonetheless and there were about 6 young people who committed their lives to Christ. It was a great way to finish up the week.

One of the highlights of the week for me came in the most unexpected way by a 10-year old boy named Graham. Graham was one of the boys saved last night. But earlier in the week he approached me with a sheet of paper in his hand, explaining that he had written a song for me. Here's what he said:

Dear Josh,
During your song tonight, you said everyone should have a song. Here's my song that I wrote after revival tonight:

"The Everlasting God"
By Graham Parker, age 10

The Everlasting God in heaven will defeat Satan at the end of the earth;
During our time on the earth, we shall rejoice God's name.
The Everlasting God will never end and He shall win the war against Satan.
Jesus will come back down to the earth and it will end;
But the Christian life will never end.
And the Mega Almighty will never, ever end;
And the Mega Almighty will never, ever end.

Love,
Graham

Thanks so much Graham. Keep your eyes on Jesus, and I hope you write hundreds more of these.

10 Traits the Top CCLI Songs Have in Common

I came across this great resource for songwriters recently as it was emailed to me from a friend at Brentwood-Benson.

10 Traits the Top CCLI Songs Have in Common
- Marty Nystrom

About Marty Nystrom:

Marty Nystrom is a songwriter, best known for As The Deer, which has been a mainstay for years in CCLI’s lists of Top 100 Worship Songs. In the CCLI Copy Report results from February 2008, As The Deer was listed at #41.

1. How Great Is Our God – Chris Tomlin, Jesse Reeves, Ed Cash
2. Blessed Be Your Name - Matt & Beth Redman
3. Here I Am To Worship - Tim Hughes
4. Open The Eyes Of My Heart - Paul Baloche
5. Shout To The Lord - Darlene Zschech
6. Holy Is The Lord - Chris Tomlin, Louie Giglio
7. You Are My King - Billy Foote
8. Forever - Chris Tomlin
9. Lord I Lift Your Name On High - Rick Founds
10. Come Now Is The Time To Worship - Brian Doerksen
(CCLI US February 2008 Survey)

Christian Copyright Licensing Inc. releases a biannual list of the top 25 worship songs used by churches in America. This list is an indicator of those songs that have crossed denominational and worship style lines. As a songwriter I have studied this list closely through the years. Not only have I watched it for worship trends but also for song elements that have remained consistent regardless of changing musical styles. Here are ten traits that are important to the success of these classic worship songs.

1. Universal Theme
A successful lyric will be an existing sentiment in the hearts of worshipers from a broad audience. A song on the top of the CCLI list is there because its theme remains true to worshipers regardless of age, denomination or cultural background. Lyric phrases such as “How great is our God” and “Forever God is faithful” are relevant and honest expressions for all believers. A lyric should not require an in-depth Bible study before it can be appreciated.

2. Lyric Consistency
A strong song will have a theme that remains consistent through all of its sections. The lyrics in the verse will support or build on the topic stated in the chorus. A strong song will not wander from idea to idea. The second section of “Open the Eyes of My Heart” begins with “To see you high and lifted up.” This is an effective transition tying the sections together. The verses of “Blessed Be Your Name” bring more understanding to the message and encourages us to sing the chorus with even greater passion. A good question to ask, can the theme be stated in a word or short phrase?

3. Prosody
Prosody in song writing refers to the perfect marriage of music and lyric. Not only should each compliment the other but will ideally bring out the best in its partner. When heard alone, does the music incite the same emotion or message that the lyric expresses? The pitch, rhythm, tension and energy in the melody married to the lyric “Shout to the Lord all the earth…” is an example of effective prosody.

4. Lyric Originality
The lyricist of a classic song finds a fresh way to express an old thought. Lyrics like “You stepped down into darkness” and “He wraps Himself in light” paint a picture in the mind’s eyes making the message memorable without being overly poetic. A lasting song will include words, phrases, and rhyme pairs that have not been overused and that cause a lyric to be predictable and trite. A good lyricist will seek out scriptural truths and make them accessible to the worshiper.

5. Form
Right-brained creative types love to break the mold and free themselves from the restraints of musical structure. Before abandoning traditional song forms writers should remember that their audience is made up mostly of “left-brainers.” Their minds will be seeking a clear picture of how a song is ordered. They will not be satisfied if it leaves them feeling unsettled or disjointed. All of the CCLI examples contain solid song forms and are built with sections that are so distinctive that there is no question where the verse ends and the chorus begins.

6. Musical Interest
Songs included on the top of CCLI’s list are often included on instrumental recordings based on the merit of their musical interest. A great song will have a melody that is easily recognizable apart from its harmonic and rhythmic accompaniment. It will have musical integrity enough to be appreciated by musicians of all levels and will introduce new musical ideas with each section.

7. Usability
Perhaps the greatest challenge for the writer of praise and worship music is to find the balance between originality and usability. How do we introduce new musical ideas while keeping the song playable and singable for the local church? “Lord I Lift Your Name on High” has been high on CCLI’s list for many years. Apart from being an inherently strong song, it has lasted because its chordal simplicity makes it approachable for any church band.

8. A Well Placed Title
Ideally a song should never leave a listener wondering what the title is. The title should be unique, repeated appropriately and set in strong places within the song. “Here I Am to Worship” and “Come Now is the Time to Worship” place the title as the opening line of the chorus. “How Great is Our God,” “Blessed Be Your Name” and You Are My King make use of repetition. “Forever” and “Lord I Lift Your Name on High” end the chorus with their titles.

9. Balance of Repetition and New Ideas
Life is made up of the familiar and the new. Human beings love both as long as they are kept in balance. The same is true in song writing. Too much of a good thing can make a song boring. An overabundance of new ideas can cause a song to ramble. Songwriters repeat words, phrases, melodic motifs, and chord progressions to bring a sense of coherence to their song ideas. It’s not hard to find examples of these techniques in all of these top CCLI songs.

10. Effectiveness in Worship
I’ve saved the most important for last. The primary reason these songs are so beloved by Christians world-wide is simply because they are effective in helping worshipers exalt Jesus. Rather than drawing attention to themselves as musical works, these songs have been proven to incite worship in the hearts of people around the globe. This above all is what determines which songs will span generations.

Free Demo - "Broken"

I just uploaded a new demo today called "Broken." You can hear it on our MySpace. Or you can download it by going here. It was one of those songs that just kinda came out of nowhere and had no particular person in mind when I wrote it. But maybe somebody out there needs it. Maybe I'll need it myself someday. Go download it and let me know your thoughts.

Broken

While the tides of change keep rising on this world's shore
And the waves of pain keep crashin' on your front door
And the tears You cry never clarify
Why the world seems blind to the Hell inside
Oh, it's hard to see through a broken heart

It was a bitter storm that weathered hard inside you
And these hollow caves you call your eyes remind you
That where bitterness and hatred rest lies a ticking bomb and an early death
Oh, it's hard to see through a broken heart

Oh, and you can't see the light
Cause your faith is lost in sight

While these sands of time keep droppin' in a straight line
And your heart of stone keeps sweatin' for a mainline
Brother, don't lose heart, there's one who knows
He's the Great High Priest and the King of old
Oh, and He died alone with a broken heart
And He died alone to heal your broken heart

The Healing - Chord Charts

For all of you musicians out there, or anyone who cares, I just uploaded all of the chord charts from The Healing. You can get 'em here. Play 'em. Share 'em. Send 'em. Use 'em.

11-23-08

Today at WCC.

1. Forever (Tomlin - An oldie but a goodie. Probably one of the best worship songs he ever wrote. Simple melody. Great lyrics. Strong, biblical truth. Perfect for congregational worship. Just a great tune all around.)

2. Here is Our King (Crowder - this was off of his A Collision CD back in '05 I think it was. I've led it quite a bit over the last few years, but it's one that rarely gets old for me. Several of the lines cause the reader to step back inquisitively and look closer, like alot of Crowder's stuff, [i.e. "and what was said to the rose to make it unfold, was said to me here in my chest so be quiet now and rest."] At first glance I go hmm.... but it's pretty cool when you think about it. Like a rose coming into bloom the Lord speaks into our hearts and love for Him unfolds - a love for the King of Kings to whom we declare praise - of whom we are welcoming in - heralding in with the angels.)

3. Grace Greater Than Our Sin - (J & T version - This one is off of our new record. It's one of those hymns that I sang all growing up and always thought that it could be done well in a real modern way. The lyrics are just powerful. V.3 - Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace, freely bestowed on all who believe. You that are longing to see His face, will you this moment His grace receive?" We did this song as an altar call. Perfect.)

4. Mighty to Save - (Hillsong - One of the best tunes Hillsong has written. Love it. The bridge is a great anthem and fits perfectly for congregational worship, especially when missions is the theme! "Shine your light and let the whole world see. We're singing for the glory of the risen King!"

5. God of This City - (BlueTree - Made popular by Chris Tomlin - This is one we sang many times in Hungary with the missionaries there. You can read the explanation of the song on a post I wrote while we were there. Nonetheless, I will say this. This is a great tune, and one that is drenched in God's heartbeat for the cities of the world and the people in those cities. I always love leading this one because it's so easy to grab onto the melody right away and easy to buy into the message.)

Free MP3 Download

Here's a chance for you to grab a free MP3 called "Immanuel" from our new CD. Right click the image over on the left of the screen and "save link as." And then let us know what you think!

"Healer" Exposed

I'm certainly not the first to blog about the recent disclosure of the fraudulent testimony of "Healer's" author Michael Guglielmucci, one of the contributors on the new Hillsong Worship album, "This is Our God." But I figured I would add my thoughts nonetheless. A few days ago, I briefly mentioned the song "Healer" and the incredible story behind the song. Unfortunately, it seems that the whole story was made up by writer Michael Guglielmucci, and he did not in fact have terminal cancer. You can read the whole story here and here.

As I was thinking through my reaction to this unfortunate lie this guy was living, I basically came up with two thoughts. One, this is a trainwreck situation, to be sure. Obviously there are some mental issues this guy is facing right now. And there are thousands around the globe who have been relying on this guy and his song for encouragement as they face their own battles with terminal illnesses or whatever the case may be. So, I'm reminded of the incredible responsibility of us, men and women of God, to understand that there are people watching our lives and to strive to be truth-tellers. To live the truth. That we wouldn't make a mockery of God and gospel by the way we live our lives.

However, my second thought lends itself to more grace than judgment. I'm a broken vessel. You're a broken vessel. Michael is a broken vessel. We're all broken vessels. The fact that the story behind the song was totally fabricated doesn't make the song any less true--the truth that God is a healer--that He's in the business of healing souls and lives. And though the testimony of this particular individual is untrue, the reality that God still heals is definitely not up for debate. Whatever the motivation was for this fabrication, God has still received glory from a song that speaks to His character and praises Him for it. So, I'm thankful that God still uses broken vessels for His use--not matter how badly broken they may be. I think the Apostle Paul said it best in Philippians 1:15-18 concerning motivations for preaching the gospel:

"15 Some, to be sure, preach Christ out of envy and strife, but others out of good will. 16 These do so out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel; 17 the others proclaim Christ out of rivalry, not sincerely, seeking to cause [me] trouble in my imprisonment. 18 What does it matter? Just that in every way, whether out of false motives or true, Christ is proclaimed. And in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice."

So, pray for Michael. According the article, he's seeking professional help, which I think could be a good thing. But definitely don't waste your time praying that God will figure out a way to clean up the mess and carnage. He wasn't taken by surprise by this. He's totally in control and sovereign over this situation and He'll receive glory from it. No doubt.

New Tunes

It's only Wednesday but it feels like I've lived a full week already. We've been rehearsing like crazy with the guys this week before we go in the studio beginning Monday. Tasha and I are pumped up and really excited about it. We've got about 12 tunes we're working on that will hopefully pan into a new worship CD later in the year. We've got four covers, three of which are old hymns we've re-written, and then the rest will be originals. We're stoked! And the guys I've got working with me are phenomenal! Not only top of the line musicians, but guys that love Jesus with all of their hearts and have a passion to see God be praised above all! I'm truly being humbled and challenged through this whole process. (Nate, Andy C., Andy B., Scott, Nolan and Brett, thank you guys so much for your friendship!)

Here's a little clip from our rehearsal time the other night. This was one of those spontaneous worship moments that will surely turn out to be one of the best tracks on the CD. Take a look.

God Of This City

Here's a song that is sweeping the world and became the anthem for our week here in Hungary. We sang it several times throughout the week encouraging the missionaries to embrace a huge vision for the city in which God has placed them. We sang it with conviction. We sang it with passion. We sang it believing that, in fact, God is not done with the cities of this world--the cities represented by these missionaries scattered all throughout Eastern Europe.

Here's some quick background on this song. While leading worship in Belfast, Ireland, Chris Tomlin and his band discovered this little obscure band called "BlueTree." They heard this song and were immediately captured by it. The band explained to Tomlin that the song was birthed out of a time of ministry in the city of Pattaya, Thailand. Pattaya has over 30,000 prostitutes over the age of 18, and hundreds more under that age. While ministering in the city, BlueTree was invited by the owner of a bar to play some music. They immediately took him up on the offer, seeing it as an opportunity to sing the love and power of Christ over the city. And it was during this time of singing in the bar that this song was birthed. In a few short moments, "God of This City" was spontaneously created for the glory of God as a message of hope over a destitute city. And God is using it all over the world to stir the hearts of people to embrace, love and draw to Christ the city in which God has placed them. Let it be that for you, as well.

Worship 5.17.08

Today at Southbrook Church:

1. Kingdom Come (this was the preliminary test for this new one of mine and I felt pretty good about it. I wrote it out of a sense of urgency -- the fact that we desperately need a mighty move of God's hand in this land -- a revival -- a spiritual awakening -- that we might be desperate for God to move in this land again, bringing masses of lost souls into His kingdom and awaking His Church out of our apathetic slumber.

I woke up one morning with the verse in my head (melody and lyrics) pretty much straight from Isaiah 45:8. It rarely happens that way for me, but it's cool when it does. Here are the lyrics:

Verse:
Salvation's rising from the ground. Hearts are stirring at the sound. His voice steady raising dead hearts, breathing in new life. Righteousness pouring from the clouds is the rain that heals the ground, dry and weary from no water, pleading toward Your sky.
Pre-C:
Sound the alarm, make it loud in our hearts
Chorus:
Let Your Kingdom come, let Your will be done, pour out Your Spirit in this barren land.
Let salvation's song sing over hearts of stone. O, Lord, we're desperate for a move of Your hand.

2. Sing, Sing, Sing (new one off the Passion God of This City CD. Great tune to do corporately!)
3. All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name/Raise Up the Crown (trad. Chris Tomlin, Passion Hymns CD.)
4. Majesty (Delirious, Charlie Hall version)

Resurrection Songs

As I mentioned in Part 1 of this blog series, the little Resurrection ditties that I've been writing this week for my kids are now up and ready for your free downloading pleasure right here ("My Jesus" and "Jesus Got Up"). For those of you who are so inclined to scoff at my efforts to produce children's worship songs (however feeble they may be), you probably don't have kids, so you probably wouldn't understand. Nonetheless, my tender heart is laid bare and vulnerable before you as I open up our living room to the company of your listening ears, CD player or iPod. Don't crush it too badly. Still, my kids really like them (I guess that's what matters), so perhaps there are some other kids out there who will benefit from them as well. Enjoy!

The Last Song

Today in church history marks the death of Philip Bliss (December 29, 1876), a hymn writer and evangelist of the 19th century. He died at the age of 38 when his train derailed in Ashtabula, Ohio and plunged 60 feet into the icy waters below. He died alongside his wife and 92 other passengers.

He was famous for writing such hymns as "Wonderful Words of Life, "Let the Lower Lights Be Burning," "I Will Sing of My Redeemer" and "I Gave My Life for Thee." The lyrics to his brand-new hymn "I Will Sing of My Redeemer" were found among his belongings following the train catastrophe. They essentially became his last words and epitaph.

I will sing of my Redeemer,
And His wondrous love to me;
On the cruel cross He suffered,
From the curse to set me free.

Sing, oh, sing of my Redeemer,
With His blood He purchased me,
On the cross He sealed my pardon,
Paid the debt, and made me free.

I will tell the wondrous story,
How my lost estate to save,
In His boundless love and mercy,
He the ransom freely gave.

I will praise my dear Redeemer,
His triumphant pow'r I'll tell,
How the victory He giveth
Over sin, and death, and hell.

I will sing of my Redeemer,
And His heav'nly love to me;
He from death to life hath brought me,
Son of God with Him to be.

Bliss died with the praises of God on His lips. The Redeemer to which he had just finished writing and singing became his heavenly audience moments later.

And I can't think of a better way to meet my Savior than to have just composed my last song of praise to Him - singing of my Redeemer.

Sufjan Stevens - Put the Lights on the Tree

Here's a sweet little diddy to get us all in the Christmas spirit!

A Tragedy, A Legacy, and a Ragamuffin's Commitment

Today, September 19, is the 10-year anniversary of the tragic death of Rich Mullins. It probably seems random that I know that, but Rich’s music had such an enormous impact on my life as a young Christian musician, it’s hard for me to forget details like that. Rich helped to shape the landscape of the early Contemporary Christian Music industry in a profound way. He defied and challenged traditional taboos, often playing concerts barefooted wearing simply a t-shirt and torn jeans. His lyrics were passionate, frank and honest, openly describing personal and spiritual struggles in his search to know God more intimately.

What I love most about Rich’s legacy was the fact that, in the midst of all of his success and accomplishments, he never ceased to keep Jesus Christ, the Gospel and the Bible his central focus. He once commented,

Sometimes it concerns me, the number of people who can quote my songs, or they can quote the songs of several people, but they can’t quote the Scriptures – as if anything a musician might have to say would be worth listening to . . . If you want entertainment, I suggest Christian entertainment, because I think it’s good. But if you want spiritual nourishment, I suggest you go to church or read your Bible (Creation Festival Radio Special, Mt. Union, PA, June 27, 1996).

Rich never wavered in preaching the fundamentals of the Christian faith through his music. Scripture was the most important thing to Rich. In one of his most famous and powerful songs, “Creed,” Rich took the Apostles’ Creed, the most fundamentally orthodox statement of the Christian faith, and put it to music. In this song he drew a line in the sand.

I believe in God the Father,
Almighty Maker of Heaven and Maker of Earth,
And in Jesus Christ His only begotten Son, our Lord
He was conceived of the Holy Spirit,
Born of the Virgin Mary, Suffered under Pontius Pilate,
He was crucified and dead and buried.

And I believe what I believe is what makes me what I am,
I did not make it, no it is making me,
It is the very truth of God and not the invention of any man.

Rich was committed to the basic truths of Christianity – the truth about Jesus Christ – that He came as the Messiah of the world to live, to die, to atone for sin and to rise again conquering death and offering new life. It never gets old to me – the fact that Christ came to this earth for helpless, sinful human beings. That’s the only message that will last through eternity. That’s the only message that ultimately matters. Thanks for your legacy, Rich.

Sleeping and Drowning

Today is the birthday of Ivan Pavlov. Remember him from Psychology 101? His famous salivating dog experiment helped to solidify the theory of classical conditioning - that we are conditioned to certain responses as we experience them over and over again. For some extended period of time Pavlov submitted his dogs to a conditioning test. Before every meal, he would ring a loud bell. Then he would bring out the food, the dogs would see it, begin to salivate and Ivan would feed them. After awhile, the dogs would salivate simply from hearing the bell. They were conditioned to know that the food would always follow the bell.

As irony would have it, I rescued a drowning puppy this morning from my neighbor's swimming pool. I heard him splashing and carrying on next door so I peaked through the fence to see for myself what the raucous was. My neighbors were still sound asleep, not realizing the danger their pup was in. So I jumped the fence and came to the rescue.

True story. It wasn't like the movies though. There was no pomp and circumstance to follow. No slow motion. No thematic score from James Horner and the London Symphony Orchestra. Just the chirping of birds and the loud panting of the puppy. Kind of a letdown. But I saved him. I called my neighbors and woke them up and told them what happened and they were grateful. Relieved. Stunned. Overwhelmed. Motivated.

I think many times in our Christian walk we are as Keith Green said, "asleep in the light." We have the truth of the gospel, the greatest news the world needs to hear, and we casually and comfortably sleep while the rest of the world drowns in the sickness of their own sin. We, the children of God, the only ones who have the life-saving devices, stay asleep in our cozy beds oblivious to the death surrounding us. And sadly we've conditioned ourselves to this. The habit of sleeping in the light has become such a part of us that as soon as we hear the screams of a panicky drowning world, we fall asleep. As soon as the bell rings, we salivate.

Would to God that He would awaken us from this stupor and find us grateful. Relieved. Stunned. Overwhelmed. Motivated. Grateful for His grace to bear with us. Relieved to have open eyes. Stunned at the condition of the world and the condition we were in. Overwhelmed at the enormous task in front of us. But motivated to get started again.

Awaken us, O God, from our sleeping state that we might see through Your eyes the world drowning in front of our faces.

"Asleep in the Light"
Do you see, do you see
All the people sinking down?
Don't you care, don't you care
Are you gonna let them drown?
How can you be so numb
Not to care if they come
You close your eyes
And pretend the job's done
Oh bless me Lord, bless me Lord
You know it's all I ever hear
No one aches, no one hurts
No one even sheds one tear
But He cries, He weeps, He bleeds
And He cares for your needs
And you just lay back
And keep soaking it in,
Oh, can't you see it's such a sin?
Cause He brings people to your door,
And you turn them away
As you smile and say,
God bless you, be at peace
And all heaven just weeps
Cause Jesus came to your door
You've left Him out on the streets
Open up, open up
And give yourself away
You see the need, you hear the cries
So how can you delay?
God's calling and you're the one
But like Jonah you run
He's told you to speak
But you keep holding it in,
Oh can't you see it's such a sin?
The world is sleeping in the dark
That the church just can't fight
Cause it's asleep in the light
How can you be so dead
When you've been so well fed

Jesus rose from the grave
And you, you can't even get out of bed

Oh, Jesus rose from the dead
Come on, get out of your bed
How can you be so numb
Not to care if they come
You close your eyes
And pretend the job's done
You close your eyes
And pretend the job's done
Don't close your eyes
Don't pretend the job's done
Come away, come away, come away with Me, my love
Come away, from this mess, come away with Me, my love.

-Keith Green

Under the Tree

I've never written a Christmas song until now. And I've especially even more never written a Christmas song for my wife until now (long days necessitate bad grammar). So, here's a first. And another first. It's called Under the Tree. Enjoy! Let me know what you think. Merry Christmas!

Pleasantries Aside

It’s probably happened to you. You sit down for a meal at a nice restaurant and order your food. As you tell your server what you would like, you point to the picture of the delicious looking delicacy while you simultaneously tell him or her the name of the special treat. However, what you don't realize is, the title of your meal does not correspond to the picture that you see. You’ve misaligned the two. It’s happened to me numerous times. And when the food finally comes, you think, “This is no where near what I ordered. It looks nothing like the picture.”

I think the Christian life is like this many times. We have this picture in our minds of what we think it should look like. We get this image in our heads of the road that we want to be on. And when our order is brought out, it looks nothing like what we imagined. So, we’re faced with two options when we’re served this meal. 1. Eat it – brace ourselves like a man, and go down the road that the Lord has sovereignly laid before us; 2. Try to return it – but we can’t. And in trying to do so, we miss out on all that the Lord has for us on this road.

I’ve written a song about this called Pleasantries Aside. I just posted it on our myspace. The chorus is taken from Jeremiah 41:6. Background: Who? The remnant of Israel that was left after the Babylonians came in and ushered most of them up to Babylon. What? They tell Jeremiah to intercede for them to the Lord and get His direction. In so doing, here’s what they say:

“Whether it is pleasant or unpleasant, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God to whom we are sending you so that it may go well with us.”

Sure sounds sincere. But just a few verses later, we find our remnant arguing with Jeremiah about what the Lord told them to do. So, they decide they don’t like the road that the Lord is leading them down. And they try to return it. But they can’t. So, they just go on living in sin, doubt, rejection, and fear.

The verse of the song says:

“You caught me by surprise. When I opened up my eyes, You were standing there. But my mind went straight to ‘fair’. Cause it’s not the road I chose, but I guess I’m not the one who knows.”

If we could just stop for one minute and not focus on our situation, but focus on the God of our situation, we’ll see that He’s been there all along. And it’s not about fairness as we measure it, it’s about God’s sovereign hand moving and working in our lives to bring us down the road that He has marked out. Or to bring us a meal that we didn’t know we ordered. Either one.