Father, Can You Hear Me?

Father, can you hear me?

I’ve been crying out for so long
I speak out words to please you
And say things just to belong

With a sudden burst, you took off
And didn’t care to look back
You ran swifter than a fox could
Without a hint of conflict

Father, why aren’t you listening?
You’re holding back; where is your hand?
Father, why won’t you show yourself?
Are you there or am I alone?

Father, will you answer
If I call out for your help?
How can I know that you care?
How will I know I’m not shelved?

Like the silence before the storm
I’m haunted by your absence
Are you dead or are you hiding?
Or am I just mistaken?

Add to the load more heavy burdens
You’re keeping me from loving you
When will you be satisfied and glad to
Call me your son?

But in the quiet, in the stillness
The veil is lifted from your face
I see that in the silence you were
Making me your own son

Father, I know you’re listening
No holding back; here is your hand
Father, I know you’ve shown yourself
You are here; I’m not alone

I'll Quiet You

Though nations come against your land
Though kings have pillaged all you have
Though food is taken from your hand
I'll quiet you by my love

For three transgressions, judgment hits
For no one will their sin admit
And when your soul sinks to the pit
I'll quiet you by my love

And though you choose what I create
Thereby sealing all man's fate
A new creation will be shaped
I'll quiet you by my love

Though the fig tree has decayed
Though your flocks have run away
Rejoice! I, the LORD, am your strength
I'll quiet you by my love

You shameless people, gather here
Seek the Lord in humble fear
And though you turn, I'll draw you near
I'll quiet you by my love

And though you try to take my crown
And wear my jewels upon your brow
My goodness can't ever be drowned
I'll quiet you by my love

The Lord your God sings over you

And given you burden of proof

That I won't leave but will stay true

I'll quiet you by my love

Sing aloud, my children, shout!
In joy for freedom has come about
And in my care you have no doubts
I'll quiet you by my love

Tree Worshipers

In reading my title, you might think this post is about people who worship nature, trees, or the environment. But this isn’t about people who only eat organic food and think they are better than everyone else because they drive a Prius.

Rather, this post is about the people who worship an aspect of the gospel and not Jesus himself.

I had a conversation with a man the other day about why we do not use crosses or pictures of the crucifixion of Jesus in our church gatherings on Sundays. He visited RLA and told me his church in Orange County uses them because they point to the glory of God.
Though I think there are better ways of being motivated to worship Jesus, I don’t think it’s necessarily wrong to use images or crosses to remind us of the glory of God.

However, we must be careful with this. We do not worship a cross or an empty tomb, we worship the God-man on the cross, who came out of the tomb after being resurrected from the dead.

If we use images to spur on our worship of God, we must be careful not to make those images the things we worship.

God’s glory is shown to us through the gospel: the life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus in fulfillment of scripture.

We do not worship the cross, we worship Jesus. We look at the cross and praise God for the gospel. We do not worship the resurrection, we worship Jesus who is the resurrection. We praise God for his promise of a future resurrection for those with faith.

If you see a cross, an empty tomb, or any other image that depicts Jesus or any part of the gospel, may that spur you on to worship God and not the image itself.

Our hearts take good things and worship them as supreme things. The cross, the empty tomb, and all of God’s graces that we enjoy daily must point us back to him as the object of our worship.

Unseen

Cold, alone, but in the air
The echo of a timeless truth
Beneath the sky, I listen there
Too faint, arise the fear to move

What if, in the dark of night
I see your hand move in the trees?
Too dim to know that my eyes were right
My body, weak, fall to my knees

Your way remained right through the sea
Your path was made through waters great
And yet your footprints were unseen
You led your people sure and straight
A guiding hand we knew was there
The whole time kept us from despair

A whisper through the falling rain
I swear I hear, though I can’t see
Is there a chance there’s more to pain
A greater purpose, more meaning?

Come to find, I’m not alone
Though your face remains hidden
Your back is all I see
But only because you pave a way for me