Re-direction can be fun
Posted by Windy Desmond on March 4, 2010
So I had an interesting thing happen this week. While planning the worship service, I prayed over the passage, (Galations 1:1-5) which had very strong themes about Christ being our Savior and how He saves and rescues us. The specific verse says “…the Lord Jesus Christ who gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father.” As I thought about this verse, especially in the context of a worship service, I felt that My Savior My God would be a great focus song for us this week. The words are a great fit, the tone of the song communicates (to me at least) the weight and seriousness of this gift from our Lord, and it is a song that our Church loves and associates with. Some time went by, and then I sat down with the Lord to plan the service and to ask Him to show me the songs that He has for us this week. I confirmed with Him that the theme is to be about our Savior, the gift of His life and the salvation that we have in Him. God shared with me that He is excited about all of the songs that we will be singing about Jesus. We have often been singing more about God the Father, and we will be singing many songs about Jesus in the near future. Next, I asked Him to confirm that our focus song this week should be My Savior My God. Guess what he said?
He said no. He did not give me a reason. He simply said that He did not have that song for us this week, and that He wanted to re-direct us to a different song. How surprising it was to me! I did not expect His answer at all. So far, in my journey as worship minister, when I plan the services and feel led to a particular focus song God has always confirmed that song as the one that He wants us to sing. It feels very strange in a way to be re-directed so clearly. However, I really like being re-directed for a couple of reasons. First, it wakes me up. It breaks up a routine that can look very similar from day to day. Don’t get me wrong – the routine is great – it is just like a little jolt of caffeine. Second, it makes me feel so close to the Lord. It confirms, to me, that I am truly hearing His voice and not my own. If I were just hearing my own voice we would be singing My Savior My God this week. Instead, we are singing Rescue, which is our focus song, and is not one that I have led before.
How can this affect our daily walk, and not just be something that is an every now-and-then occurrence? My proposal is this – just because we think we know what God would say, we should ask anyway. Ask Him to confirm. “What would Jesus do” might be a good place to start, but our thoughts and our wisdom will never equal that of our Father’s. We never know when God wants to re-direct us until we ask. Sometimes re-direction might be scary, but it is always worth it.
Lyrics to Rescue, Crossland’s focus song for 03/07/2010
You are the source of life. I can’t be left behind. No one will do – I will take hold of You.
I need You Jesus to come to my rescue. Where else can I go? There’s no other name by which I am saved. Capture me with grace. I will follow You.
My heart is Yours for life. I need Your hand in mine. No one else will do. I put my trust in You.
I need You Jesus to come to my rescue. Where else can I go? There’s no other name by which I am saved. Capture me with grace. I will follow You.
This world has nothing for me…I will follow You…
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