The next song for my Blog was written by Caleb Culver, Cory Asbury, and Ran Jackson and was first released in 2017. A link to Cory Asbury performing the song is at the bottom of this Blog entry.
Reckless Love
Before I spoke a word, You were singing over me
You have been so, so good to me
Before I took a breath, You breathed Your life in me
You have been so, so kind to me
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Oh, it chases me down, fights ’til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine
I couldn’t earn it, and I don’t deserve it, still, You give Yourself away
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God, yeah
When I was Your foe, still Your love fought for me
You have been so, so good to me
When I felt no worth, You paid it all for me
You have been so, so kind to me
And oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Oh, it chases me down, fights ’til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine
And I couldn’t earn it, I don’t deserve it, still, You give Yourself away
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God, yeah
There’s no shadow You won’t light up
Mountain You won’t climb up
Coming after me
There’s no wall You won’t kick down
Lie You won’t tear down
Coming after me
There’s no shadow You won’t light up
Mountain You won’t climb up
Coming after me
There’s no wall You won’t kick down
Lie You won’t tear down
Coming after me
There’s no shadow You won’t light up
Mountain You won’t climb up
Coming after me
There’s no wall You won’t kick down
Lie You won’t tear down
Coming after me
There’s no shadow You won’t light up
Mountain You won’t climb up
Coming after me
There’s no wall You won’t kick down
Lie You won’t tear down
Coming after me
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Oh, it chases me down, fights ’til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine
And I couldn’t earn it, I don’t deserve it, still, You give Yourself away
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God, yeah
I will begin the first entry in this Blog by analyzing the first verse of the song.
Before I spoke a word, You were singing over me
You have been so, so good to me
Before I took a breath, You breathed Your life in me
You have been so, so kind to me
This is a song that covers a lot of ground, but the driving focus of the song is just how much God really loves us; he always has and he always will. Before we could even speak and perhaps before we were even born, God was singing how great we are and how even greater we would become. We were probably unaware of his joy at our conception, but he and the angels were already celebrating even if we could not hear or even understand if we did hear! God was creating a special time just for us with his thoughts of love and songs of joy for each of us individually. He knew about the world around us, the challenges we would face, and our future; he wanted us to start out knowing that someone loved us regardless of how our world would change as we left the womb. This line of the song takes me to Psalm 23 where we read, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.” He is starting us out with the same peace he will offer us the rest of our days. He is so good to us, even before knew he even existed.
The next line of the song can be very controversial and brings a tremendous amount of conflict in our society today due to the varying opinions surrounding the morality of abortions. Putting the conflict aside for the moment, the entire birth process from conception to birth is an amazing event and process. Birth is truly a miracle that could not happen without a well-orchestrated plan. Yet another miracle of God. Our heart starts beating right after conception even before we are able to breathe on our own. We are not able to breathe on our own until we exit the womb. During the period of time in the womb, oxygen gets to the infant via the umbilical cord. Oxygen is necessary for the baby to live and since the baby is immersed in fluid and does not even have developed lungs for a while; the umbilical cord is the true lifeline. The lungs are fully formed around the thirty-two week mark and the baby has the ability to breathe air at around thirty-six weeks, which means the baby has a greater chance of survival outside the womb if it makes it to week thirty-six. The first true breath of air using the baby’s fully developed lungs comes shortly after leaving the womb. During our entire time in the womb, God was forming us. He already knew we were coming, even before conception, and he already knew the plan for our life. We read in Jeremiah that God knew us before we were formed and in Psalms that God made us and fashioned us into who we would become. The net is that he has been a part of our life long before we were that twinkle in our parent’s eyes. As we escaped that womb of safety and security into a new world, God gave us that first breath of air as we entered the next phase in our lives. Yes, he was and is so kind to us and just as he protected us in the womb and prepared us for our life outside the womb, he is with us for eternity. The world is a little scarier than the security of the womb, but we can always reach out and hold his hand and depend on him. We are never alone. I believe that if we stop and take the time to communicate with God, we may even hear the song in our heart that he has been singing for us since before we were conceived.