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Sunday, March 8, 2015

An Obedient Birth of a Song


This is the hardest song I've ever written. I was closing the door on it when I got this text paired with a video of her adorably precocious son singing one of my songs (with a line or two of another thrown in).  "You oh God are both tender and kind, Slow to anger, Immense in love...and you never never never never quit"

I was so sweetly slayed with her en-couraging words.  In the parking lot of Lowe's Foods, where I was reading her text, I wept.

Obedience sometimes needs encouraging- the building up kind; and sometimes there is weeping involved. 

Later at home,  I found myself gloriously in the search function of my Bible app looking for a way to word lyrics so they could speak truth without exasperating. 

Here's the journey of what I found:

1.  Before Proverbs there is a *lot* of pairing "obey" with "voice".    Which implies listening.  Obedience is conversational and relational.  I need to practice listening.  
  
2.  Proverbs 30:17
The eye that mocks a father
and scorns to obey a mother
will be picked out by the ravens of the valley 
and eaten by the vultures.

...lovely (not to mention enticing)  

3. Ezekiel 36:24-27
I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.

That last verse again...
Ezekiel 36:27
And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.

- so glad the Spirit can make the impossible possible.  Obeying is HARD stuff.  Especially if my flesh wants to run at full speed away from an act of obedience.  Maybe if I ask God to help more I'll be a little more obedient? 

4.  Ephesians 6:1-4
Children and Parents
​Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

5. Colossians 3:20-21
Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.

...déjà vu 

6. 1 John 5:2-3
By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. 

I forgotten all about that passage from my original research.  (Yay for JC and Da Boys!)

NIV says it like this:  

1 John 5:3
In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,

....and another song is born.  :-)

Labor?  Yes.
Pain? You bet.
Community? So sweet.
Joy in delivery?  Definitely.  

I'll post the video in an edit...if I make one.  

I'm so grateful for everyone who helped make this song possible.  My bro Paul, who helped shape the perspective of the song, Lydia, an amazing encourager, and my rockin' rabbi Brandon who has an amazing way of taking my little songs to a whole new level.  

Let's hope this one is a hit with the kiddos! 

(Edit:  promised video link). http://youtu.be/VcPCH1Sw_XY