Savior – Song Dive

Goodness of God

The next entry for my Blog is Goodness of God, which was written by Ben Fielding, Brian Johnson, Edward Martin Cash, Jason Ingram, and Jenn Johnson. It was first released January 4, 2019. A link to CeCe Winans singing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.

I love You, Lord
For Your mercy never fails me
All my days, I’ve been held in Your hands
From the moment that I wake up
Until I lay my head
Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God

‘Cause all my life You have been faithful
And all my life You have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God

I love Your voice
You have led me through the fire
In darkest night You are close like no other
I’ve known You as a Father
I’ve known You as a Friend
And I have lived in the goodness of God, yeah

‘Cause all my life You have been faithful, oh yes You have
And all my life You have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God

Your goodness is running after, it’s running after me
Your goodness is running after, it’s running after me

With my life laid down, I surrendered now
I give You everything, oh Lord
Your goodness is running after, it’s running after me
Your goodness is running after, it’s running after me (oh yeah, oh yeah)
Your goodness is running after, it’s running after me
With my life laid down, I surrendered now
I give You everything
Your goodness is running after, it keeps running after meAnd all my life You have been faithful
And all my life You have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
Oh, I’m gonna sing of the goodness of God
I’m gonna sing

All my life You have been faithful
(All of my life You’ve been faithful)
All my life You have been so, so good
(So good with every breath)
every breath that I am able
(Every breath I’m able)
I will sing (I’m gonna sing)
Of the goodness (of the goodness of God, yes I am)
I’m gonna sing of the goodness of God
Oh, I’m gonna sing of the goodness of God

I would like for you to stop for a minute and think about the very first line in this song, “I love you Lord.” Have you really taken time to tell God how much you love him and thank him for all he has done for you, your family, and your friends? I strongly believe most of us spend a lot more time asking things of God as opposed to thanking him for every blessing of every day. I would like for you to take some time right now to think about why you love someone and make sure that God gets that same amount love if not more.

Love is such a powerful word, but we don’t always stop to think about what it means. This song does a great job telling us what God is doing every day in our lives and how he runs after us because he loves us and never gives up on us. Wherever we go, he is there with us. Whenever we try to run from him, he runs beside us. Whenever we try to hide, he finds us. Whenever we feel like we cannot fight any longer and fall to our knees in despair, he is there to join us in the battles of life. When we are lonely and feel unloved, his arms are wrapped around us. As you think about these things and remember how he kept you safe, how can you not love God? God’s mercy, his unending forgiveness, is there to bring us peace; regardless of the mistakes we have made in our lives or the times we have ignored him.

Not only is God with us at all times, his hand is always extended to us so we never have to walk alone, no matter the challenges we are facing. It doesn’t matter where we are, where we have been, or where we are going; his love surrounds us. Think about all of the challenges in life you have faced. Now, think about how you survived those challenges. You survived because God was there with you the entire time and had his arms wrapped around you, you just didn’t realize it. In our greatest moments of hopelessness, despair, and darkness; God was always there to lead us back into the light. The song writers state how they love the voice of God. Some may say I have never heard the voice of God. Is his voice a booming sound that wakes us up and brings us back to reality? In our times of despair, we may feel as if we need a loud voice to bring us out of our despair. The reality is that if we have accepted God’s son Jesus as our personal savior, the holy spirit dwells within us and is our internal communication link with God, we find this in the book of John 14:26, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” All we have to do is open our hearts and minds to God and we will be able to hear that still small voice. It is that voice that helps to calm the storms of life we face, and bring us an inner peace as we fight our battles. The Holy Spirit is with us from the day we accept Jesus until the day our life on earth is no more. This is what the goodness of God is all about, he loves us unconditionally and sees no fault in any of us who have accepted him and his son.

I love the line in the song, “your goodness is running after, it’s running after me.” Most of us probably have the tendency to believe that we have to reach out to God and get his attention before he can help us. The reality is he is trying to get our attention to keep us out of the situations we get into, but we tend to ignore him until we are in complete desperation. In effect, he is trying to head off the issues ahead of us, but we don’t take the time to ask for or listen to his guidance. We seem to prefer to proceed with doing things we shouldn’t do instead of listening to that still small voice that is reaching out to us. He is always faithful to us, even when we are unfaithful to him. In some ways it is like parenting. As a parent, I want to watch out for my children and try to keep them out of trouble, but there is only so much I can do when my children don’t listen. Even when my children disobey me and choose their own paths, I still love them as much as I always have. We find commitments of God’s eternal faithfulness to us throughout the bible and here are just a couple of the many passages of scripture. Psalm 108:4 “For Your mercy is great above the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.” Psalm 117:2 “For His merciful kindness is great toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.”

Since God has been there with us every step of every day, isn’t it time for us to praise him with every breath we take and time to sing of his mercy and his grace? It is time to stop running away from God, it is time to fall into the security of his promises and his love. Are you one of the people who have continued to run from God? If so, isn’t it time for you to quit running away and accept his son as your savior?

Select to hear CeCe Winans Sing the Goodness of God

One Small Child

The next entry for my Blog is One Small Child, which was written by David Meece. It was first released in 1977. A link to Evie singing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.

One small child in a land of a thousand
One small dream of a savior tonight
One small hand reaching out to the starlight
One small savior of life, ooh

One king bringing his gold and riches
One king ruling an army of might
One king kneeling with incense and candlelight
One king bringing us life, ooh

See him lying a cradle beneath him
See him smiling in the stall
See his mother praising his father
See his tiny eyelids fall

See the shepherds kneeling before him
See the kings on bended knee
Oh, see the mother praising the father
See the blessed infant sleep

One small child in a land of a thousand
One small dream of a savior tonight
One small hand reaching out to the starlight
One small savior of life, ooh

This post is being written during the Christmas season since I believe it carries the true meaning of Christmas. During the Christmas season and perhaps other holiday seasons, the true message of the song is lost amongst the glitz and glitter of the ongoing celebrations. It is easy to enjoy singing along with these wonderful celebratory songs since they usually make us happy and think about holidays of the past. I believe this song brings us back to the reality of what Christmas is truly all about, which is celebrating the birth of Christ.

On that very special night long ago, the son of God was born. He was only one of thousands of children being born that same night, so he wasn’t anything special to those outside of his mom and dad. The fact that he was born and was lying in a manger diminished his perceived worth to the world even more. Think about the people who were staying at the inn where there was no room for Jesus, what was their initial impression of the baby lying in the manger which normally held food for the livestock? They probably thought that this child had no hope in life and would probably end up a beggar in the streets, just as so many of the poor they saw in the city streets every day. The tiny infant raises its hands to the stars, maybe to reach out to Mary his mother, or perhaps to his father in heaven. Little did anyone know that this little baby would be the savior of the world. It is true that the angel told Mary about her son before he was born, but taking that head and heart knowledge and applying it to this little baby had to be a difficult task.

After a period of time the wisemen/kings arrived from the far east. To get there while the baby was still there meant the kings had been notified of the birth perhaps many months earlier since they came from far away. There are songs about the three kings/wisemen and the gifts they brought to the son of God. They brought gold, incense, myrrh, and also brought the power they represented. Just imagine how Mary the mother of Jesus and Joseph his earthly father felt when the kings arrived. They may have never been really close to a king and the king they did know was not necessarily a kind one. They are probably in awe of the kings and then overwhelmed when the kings knelt before this tiny little baby. Who is he that would be worshipped and revered by powerful kings? As I mentioned above, even though Mary was told her child would the son of God and a savior to the world, it still had to be a very humbling experience.

I can just imagine this tiny infant, the savior of the world, looking up at the kings hovering above him and giving them a smile of joy. Sometimes a simple smile can tell more than words can ever express. Mary is watching all of this in awe. She sees her son, the son of God, lying there with a beautiful smile on his face; all she can do is look to his heavenly father and let her heart relay her joy and amazement. She knew that words could never express what her heart felt as she looked up to the heavens. As she looked back down to the new born king, she saw his eyes slowly closing. Just think about how she must have felt knowing that the God of all creation had given her the most precious gift imaginable.

The song now reminds us that the shepherds were already there since they were the first to be notified of the birth of Christ. In the book of Luke chapter 2, we find that the shepherds were notified of the birth by angels, “There were shepherds taking care of their flocks at night. An angel appeared to them and told them not to be afraid as he brought good news, “This very day in David’s town your savior was born – Christ the Lord!” They would find the baby wrapped in cloth, lying in a manger.” They were viewed as some of the lowliest people by others, but God knew their true worth and let them be the first people to visit his son. As a result, some of the most powerful people were joined by some of the lowliest people to be the first to see our savior. I think it sends the message that Jesus was born for everyone; the poor, the lowly, the powerful, the humble, and the outcasts. All are represented and kneeling before their savior, our savior as Mary is praising God. What a way for God to start the life of his son, a loving family and all walks of life bowing before him.

What do you think about at Christmas? I know that being with family is important and I know that all of us like gifts; but are you taking the time to think about the true meaning of Christmas and give Jesus his time? When Christmas if over, does Jesus get boxed up and put away with the Christmas decorations, or does he stay in your life and your heart all year long? All I ask is that you take a little time and consider the question I posed.

Click to Hear Evie Sing One Small Child

Make Room in Your Heart

The next entry for my Blog is Make Room in Your Heart, which was written by John Mark Hall and Matt Maher. It was first released in 2017. A link to Matt Mayer and Casting Crowns singing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.

A family hiding from the storm
Found no place at the keeper’s door
It was for this a Child was born
To save a world so cold and hollow

The sleeping town, they did not know
That lying in a manger low
A Savior King who had no home
Has come to heal our sorrows

Is there room in your heart?
Is there room in your heart?
Is there room in your heart
For God to write His story?

Shepherds counting sheep at night
Do not fear the glory light
You are precious in His sight
God has come to raise the lowly

Is there room in your heart?
Is there room in your heart?
Is there room in your heart
For God to write His story?

You can come as you are
But it may set you apart
When you make room in your heart
And trade your dreams for His glory
Make room in your heart
Make room in your heart

Mother holds the promise tight
Every wrong will be made right
The road is straight, the burden’s light
For in His hands, He holds tomorrow

Is there room in your heart?
Is there room in your heart?
Is there room in your heart
For God to write His story?

You can come as you are
But it may set you apart
When you make room in your heart
And trade your dreams for His glory
Make room in your heart
Make room in your heart

Make room in your heart
Make room in your heart

This song asks a challenging question, one that all of us should take the time to consider how we would respond. The core of the story comes from the bible and is found in the book of Luke chapter 2. As the holy family sought shelter from the storms of life and the threat of losing their yet to be born son, they found no place for him to be born. The only place available for him to be born was in a manger filled with hay, basically it was a feeding trough for horses and cattle. This is where our savior, Jesus, the Son of God was born. It is hard to imagine that the son of God, the one person who had come to save the world, would be born in this way. The keeper of the inn nor the people of the local town of Bethlehem had any idea of what was transpiring nor how the world would be changed forever. We are also told in Luke 2, that the shepherds were the first to visit Jesus. They were told about the birth by angels who directed them to Bethlehem. Just imagine the shock they experienced when angels appeared to them to deliver the message! I guess it was only fitting that the shepherds were some of the first ones to see Jesus since they spend their lives out in the fields and away from other people and the tents they had were perhaps their only home. The good news is that this was all part of God’s plan, his son was perfect in every way, and it only seems right for him to be born away from all of the sin in the cold hard world that he was coming into to offer salvation.

Jesus came to offer the gift of eternal life to everyone, not just a single group of people, not to just one country, but to the entire world. His color, his birthplace, his language were irrelevant; only his message and his sacrifice should be the focus for all of us. The chorus of this song asks the question that we must all take time to address, “Is there room in your heart for God to write his story?” I think most of us would answer with, “well of course there is.” Now I would like for you to take a few minutes and let the question really sink in before you respond. I understand that you carry love in your heart for your family and your friends, hopefully this is true for all of us. What about your passions outside of your family and friends, what dominates your thoughts and what is on your mind most often? You may spend more time thinking about your job, your next vacation, a sporting event, etc. than you do about your faith. Assuming everything you think about is what you really carry in your heart, is there truly room for God and his story? I am not suggesting you stop thinking about the other things in your life, I think the song is asking whether or not you are willing to give God equal time in your heart. God wants you to always keep his son and his sacrifice in your hearts. All of these things can coexist in your heart, but something has to have a priority. Shouldn’t that priority be God since he is the one offering you eternal life by accepting his son? Nothing else in your heart can offer you eternal life. I am not suggesting in any way that the other things in your heart are wrong, I am only saying that God should always be first in your heart as well and get the attention he deserves. We all make our choices as to what our priorities in life are and what we want to keep in our heart, but God can help us to keep our priorities in order. We find this promise in Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”

It is great to want a family, to do well in your career, and to enjoy life; there is nothing wrong with these dreams and aspirations. As you take a moment to reflect on who you hope to be and your personal goals, are you merely thinking about the time you have on this earth? Maybe you will have a long life, or you could pass away tomorrow; none of us have that answer. Do you ever take the time to think about an eternal life, the one that Jesus came to offer to us? He gives us hope of being reunited with our loved ones who also accepted him, once our earthly life is over. Maybe you need to take time to focus on your dreams and determine what your dreams coming to fruition would mean to you, and then compare your earthly dreams coming true to the gift of eternal life. Yes, you can still have a wonderful family, you can still have professional ambitions, and you can still enjoy other things in life; but if you want eternal life; you must make room in your heart for God to write his story.

If you have not done so already, please take the time to make sure you have room in your heart for God and then accept his promise of eternal life by accepting his sacrifice of his son so you can have eternal life.

Click to Hear Matt Maher and Casting Crowns Sing Make Room

Give Thanks

The next entry for my Blog is Give Thanks, which was written by Henry Smith and was first published in 1978. A link to Janella Salvador singing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.

Give Thanks

Give thanks with a grateful heart
Give thanks to the Holy One
Give thanks because He’s given Jesus Christ, His Son

Give thanks with a grateful heart
Give thanks to the Holy One
Give thanks because He’s given Jesus Christ, His Son

And now let the weak say, “I am strong”
Let the poor say, “I am rich
Because of what the Lord has done for us”

And now let the weak say, “I am strong”
Let the poor say, “I am rich
Because of what the Lord has done for us”

Give thanks with a grateful heart (with a grateful heart)
Give thanks to the Holy One (to the Holy One)
Give thanks because He’s given Jesus Christ, His Son

Give thanks with a grateful heart (with a grateful heart)
Give thanks to the Holy One (to the Holy One)
Give thanks because He’s given Jesus Christ, His Son

And now let the weak say, “I am strong”
Let the poor say, “I am rich
Because of what the Lord has done for us”

And now let the weak say, “I am strong”
Let the poor say, “I am rich (I am rich)
Because of what the Lord has done for us”
Give thanks

Many times, over the course of my life, I find myself asking God for answers and solutions to my needs. I may need help with some issues at home, I may need help with my job, I may be having some family issues, and sometimes it seems as if I am living in quicksand and that every step takes me deeper in the pit. Do you sometimes have these days or periods of time in your life? God is there to hear our requests and to bring us hope and peace. He is there to comfort us as we traverse the challenging path of life. Isn’t it great to have someone such as God to talk to, someone who will listen to us twenty-four hours a day seven days a week?

Think about all of those times God has been there for you; and now think about all of the times you thanked him for what he has done. Did you find out that you do a lot more requesting than you do thanking and praising? A key question for you is, are you having a one-way conversation with God? In other words, are you thanking God every day for the things he has done for you? I believe that most of us spend more time asking God than we do thanking him. This song is reminding us to give thanks everyday for the things God has done or is doing in our lives. We should always be grateful for everything he has done and we should thank him from our heart, not just from our lips. He alone is holy and he alone gave up his only son, Jesus, so that each and every one of us could have eternal life if we accept the sacrifice God made for us.

I have watched young children as they opened presents and witnessed the joy that the present brings. Our hearts should be filled with that same joy and gratefulness as we talk to God every day. It will probably take some time to get in a routine, but try to communicate with God everyday and not only tell him your needs, but thank him for everything you have in your life. In the book 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18, we find the following guidance, “Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

As you strengthen your relationship and communication with God, you become a much stronger person. With his strength, you are able to overcome anything this life throws your way. We may not have a lot of money, but God will provide all that we need if we follow his guidance and put our trust in him. What can be greater than eternal life with our heavenly father and savior? We will also spend eternity with our friends and family who accepted Christ, what a glorious reunion that will be! You learn that God is always there reaching out his hand to guide you, to pick you up when you fall, and to carry you when you believe you can’t take another step. God promises that he will never abandon us, this scripture is found in the book of Deuteronomy 31:6, “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”

As we begin to realize each day how much God has done for us, we become more grateful of his love. We become stronger as we begin to understand that we never stand alone as we fight through life. We become richer because we now understand we have been given the greatest reward ever, eternal life.

Have you thanked God today for all he has done for you?

Click to See Janella Salvador Perform Give Thanks

That’s Enough

The next entry for my Blog is That’s Enough, which was written by Brandon Heath, Mallary Hope, and Molly Reed. It was first released April 22, 2022. A link to Brandon Heath singing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.

That’s Enough

Mind if I tell you a secret
A few simple truths about me
Might be hard to believe
Guess I’m just trying to come clean

Sometimes I don’t know where I’m going
It’s hard to admit where I’ve been
When I come to the end of myself
This is where I begin, again

I am here
I am loved
God is good
And that’s enough

I don’t know your situation
What kind of story you’re in
If you’re high on that mountain
Or down in the valley again

You might be holding your baby
You might be holding a drink
You might be holding a secret
That’s getting harder to keep

But you are here
You are loved
God is good
And that’s enough

And I am here
I am loved
God is good
And that’s enough

It’s okay if I don’t have the answers
It’s okay to be right where you are
It was patience and kindness and love
That got us this far

You are here
And you are loved
God is good

And I am here
I am loved
God is good
And that’s enough

He is here
He is love
God is good
And that’s enough

How many of us have secrets? My guess is that all of us have something deep inside of us that we have never shared or have only shared with a select few people. Sometimes, we just need to share one or more of these closely guarded secrets because they are tearing us apart inside. People who are close to us and people who are casual acquaintances may know us only by our exterior persona, but they have no idea what we may be struggling with deep inside. My wife accuses me of hiding things in various vaults in my head, where they can never be found. With all of this being said, most of us reach a time where we just need to bare our soul regarding some of the things going on in our lives and our past that we have been reluctant to share.

In this song, I believe the singer has reached the point where he just has to talk to someone, because it is tearing him up on the inside and has been hidden by that façade we many times hide behind. I believe all of us are in this situation and the time comes where we just need to come clean. Maybe you invite someone or a few friends to grab a cup or coffee or a drink with you. As you sit there, you start to explain how you are not the person you appear to be. The person or people you are talking to have always viewed you as someone who has it all together. Perhaps you are the one seemingly always loving life, with everything going your way. Perhaps it is your demeanor, maybe it is how many friends you have, your successful career, how much money you appear to have, or perhaps your perfect family. As you start to tell your true story, the people with you become speechless as they hear what has really been going on inside of you. They start to understand that maybe your entire life has been a trainwreck and you have kept it hidden behind a well-developed façade. Your best friends start hearing about your childhood as part of a broken family, how your marriages have failed, how you are deep in debt, and that your entire life has been a failure. For you, success has been temporary and fleeting as your inner secrets continue to take over your mind and distract from the life you want to live. It is almost as if you have been hanging off of a cliff, were able to pull yourself back up; and then start hanging off a different cliff as life beats you down again. I realize I have painted a picture of gloom and doom, but I truly believe there is a little bit of this in all of us and a lot of this in many of us. I believe that the people who just heard you bear your soul were handpicked by God for this point of time in your life.

It is in our weakest moments when we turn to the only place where we have unconditional love and this is from God and his son Jesus; he never leaves our side. In our darkest moments as we reach out to him, he is with us. He tells us this in Matthew 28:20, “And lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” As the singer of this song tells his sad sad story, God stops him and says “I am here”, you are never alone. Note that God does not say he is there for a period of time, he says he will be there always. The bible also tells in the book of John 3:16, “that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son to die for us.” How much more can someone love you, than to give up their only child for you? Yes, God is good and he has made sacrifices for us and promises to us that will last for eternity. God has to remind us sometimes that he is here, that he loves us, and that we will care for us. With God saying he is with us always and then he gave the life of his son for us, I say that’s enough.

We never know or even completely understand someone else’s story or situation, but I believe everyone has their own personal challenges in life. All of us probably get on that mountain top from time to time, only to slide back down into the valley; but God is always there with his hand out ready to pick us up yet one more time. We all have something to hide, maybe it is something associated with your family, maybe you have a problem with drinking or drugs, you can never keep a job, or maybe you just feel as if your entire life is coming unraveled and your secrets are becoming more and more difficult to keep within your façade. The real question the song seems to ask, is where does God fit into your life? The answer is to let him into your heart, he is waiting for you to invite him in. Once you allow God into your life, you start to put your trust in him since you should know that he holds the future. We don’t have to always understand why things have happened to us, but God only focuses on our future; he is not concerned about our past. Once we accept his son Jesus as our personal savior, our past is forgotten and we become white as snow on the inside. We may never understand why we have had these challenges in our life, but it is important to understand that God puts the right people by our side at various stages in our life for a purpose. These are people we can talk to about our burdens and maybe help us to find our way out of the darkness. He is simply waiting for us to reach out our hand and place it into his and feel his power, his glory, and peace that only he can bring.

It is really ok not to know all of the answers and God will be with us regardless of where we go in our lives. The song says it is God’s patience, kindness, and love that has gotten us this far. God is good, God is here, and that is enough.

Click to Hear Brandon Heath Sing That’s Enough

Woman at the Well

The next entry for my Blog is Woman at the Well, which was written Jesse Reeves, Olivia Lane, and Steve Fee. It was first released in April 9, 2021. A link to Olivia Lane singing the song is at the bottom of the Blog. The link also includes a film clip from the TV Series “The Chosen.”

Woman at the Well

I heard a story from the Bible
When I was just a little girl
About a broken-hearted woman
Who met the Savior of the world

Thought it was just another story
One that the preacher man would read
But as I’m sitting here at home
Drinking red wine all alone
I think that woman might be me

‘Cause tonight I feel just like
The woman at the well
Wondering how someone could love me
When I can’t love myself
But You want me as I am and that sounds crazy
I guess maybe that’s why grace is so amazing

Staring at that empty bottle
I swear I caught a glimpse of Him
He met me right there at the bottom
And turned that wine to living water
And taught me how to love again

Yeah, tonight I feel just like
The woman at the well
Wondering how someone could love me
When I can’t love myself
But You want me as I am and that sounds crazy
I guess maybe that’s why grace is so amazing

It’s no longer just a story when I read it (when I read it)
‘Cause I’ve seen Him for myself and I believe it

Just like the story from the Bible
I heard when I was just a girl
I’m the broken-hearted woman
Who met the Savior of the world

This is a song that brought tears of sadness and tears of joy in my heart as I recalled the story in the bible, then listened to the words of this song, and then saw it come to life on TV when I watched an episode of The Chosen. It is amazing when you read the scripture, feel the pain of the woman at the well, the empathy of Jesus, followed by the great joy he has brought to this woman who has been living a life of hopelessness.

The bible has many passages that describe Jesus, the son of God and savior of the world, interacting with people and explaining who he is and his mission upon coming to earth. One of these passages, which is in the book of Matthew chapter 9, tells us about Jesus meeting with a woman at the well. This woman had a life that was in turmoil, she had already been through multiple marriages, and never seemed to find happiness. When you sit in church and hear these stories, they don’t always seem real because they are not necessarily hitting close to home. Even though the message is true, maybe it doesn’t seem to apply to us at the time and is someone else’s story, not yours or mine. We hear the message, perhaps we retain it, and then we go on with our lives.

As we journey down the road in our lives, we perhaps start struggling with seemingly everything going on in our life, and gradually our world starts falling apart. Maybe we are feeling alone and the deeper in despair we fall, we start believing there is no hope. In this song, the individual is sitting home all alone, drinking some wine, and dwelling on all of the times she has failed in her life. The realization comes that perhaps she is just like the woman at the well from the story she heard in church long ago; a totally messed up life with no escape in sight. Maybe she hasn’t gone through the same type of travails as the woman, but she feels she has failed in her decisions and has lost all hope as her despair rages on. She has trouble loving herself, so how could anyone else ever love her. Perhaps she, just as the woman at the well, has gone through multiple relationships, marriages, or failures in life. She feels as if she will never be loved again and that she is unworthy of love.

At just the right time, this example of Jesus’ love in the bible has finally grabbed the singer’s attention, she finally understands that Jesus accepts us just as we are. All he asks is that we accept him and the eternal life he offers each of us. He knows we will change once we accept him, but he doesn’t hold any of our past against us. We are told about his grace and forgiveness in Romans 4:7. “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight.”

As the singer sits there alone and looks down into the bottom of the empty wine bottle, she suddenly catches a fleeting glimpse of the face of Jesus. It sounds sort of odd to catch a glimpse of our savior in the bottom of a wine bottle, but it is his way of saying I am with you wherever you go and ready to pull you up when you are ready to leave your misery. It is so much easier when we finally understand that we don’t look up to find Jesus, we look beside us and to the outreached hand. He is ready to give us eternal life, that living water, whenever we are ready to accept his hand. We find this passage in John 4:13-14, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”

I believe that all of us, at some point in our lives, have the hopeless feeling felt by the woman at the well. Some of the mistakes we made were our own fault, and some were probably caused by others. The woman at the well struggled with marriages and relationships, some of the issues were perhaps hers and some not. Whatever the situation, Jesus is not concerned about who is at fault. He doesn’t judge us by our past; his eyes are only focused on eternity. I hope you have partaken of the holy water.

Click to Hear Olivia Lane Sing Woman at the Well, Includes Film Clip from the TV Series – The Chosen

Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone)

The next entry for my Blog is Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone), which was written by Giglio Louie. It was first released in 2006. A link to the Chris Tomlin singing the song is at the bottom of the Blog. The original version of Amazing Grace was written by John Newton in 1772.

Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone)

Amazing grace how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now I’m found
Was blind, but now I see

‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed

My chains are gone, I’ve been set free
My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy reigns
Unending love
Amazing grace

The Lord has promised good to me
His word my hope secures
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures

My chains are gone, I’ve been set free
My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy reigns
Unending love
Amazing grace

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow
The sun forbear to shine
But God, who called me here below
Will be forever mine, will be forever mine
You are forever mine

Think of a word or phrase that carries the most powerful impact on someone’s life. I know this might be a challenging request, since there are so many great words and phrases that positively impact us in a special or powerful way. The title of this song doesn’t necessarily stand out as the answer to my request, but when you look at the true meaning of grace; you will hopefully agree that this is one of the most powerful songs ever written. I believe that, deep inside, we all want to be better people. We want to be better for ourselves as well as for others. We want to be liked, loved, and embraced as we greet other people; but what happens when we do things wrong and people can’t seem to get past our mistakes and errors in judgement? Depending on what we may have said or what we have done, people will not let us into or back into their lives nor will they forgive or forget what we have done. We put ourselves in a situation where we live in regret and then start trying to avoid others. We are seemingly stuck with our past and this guilt becomes the chains that hold us back. We want to be free, but are unsure of how to break through our bondage and move forward in our lives.

Now, let’s look at the title of this song, the word to focus on is grace. In looking at this through the lens of Christianity, grace is defined as the unmerited favor of God. More simply put, it is a free gift of forgiveness and mercy regardless of what we have done in our lives. All God asks of us is to accept his son Jesus Christ as our personal savior, we then receive God’s forgiveness for every mistake we have made in our lives; past, present, and future. God’s grace is immediate. No matter what we have done in our life, God is willing to forgive us. People may or may not forgive our flaws, but God is the one who controls our eternity and the one who should be the most important being in our lives. We all make mistakes, some big and some small, and we may not be leading a good life. Maybe we got off track with our lives a long time ago and perhaps we consider ourselves as being bad or even wretched, but he loves us anyway and is willing to wrap his arms around even the most evil among us; all he asks is to put our future in his hands. As we accept God, we start seeing the life he wants us to lead and the person he wants us to become. We are no longer oblivious to our own wrongs and the wrongs of others around us. God instills in us the desire to be better and to see what needs to change in our lives. As we feel his love and his strength, we no longer have the same fear regarding what lies ahead in our lives because we know he is there to lead us, to guide us, to love us, and to pick us up when we fall.

As the chorus tells us, we have been set free from our past and present and now have hope for our future. We are no longer encumbered by the invisible chains that have held us back from who we can be. We can now live, love, and dream knowing that we will never be alone again and that we have a guaranteed eternal home. God sent his only son to die on the cross for us, so we could have the bondage of our past replaced by the promises of God! It is amazing to me that God gave up his son so each of us could have an eternal life with him. Jesus paid the price for us with his life, the ultimate sacrifice. God’s mercy wiped the slate clean of all wrongdoings we have had in our lives and has made us a new creation, with his promise of never-ending love. It may be a while before people we know overlook our past, but in God’s eyes we have no past, only a future.

God promises eternity for us and that we can have a rewarding life. It doesn’t mean we will have a perfect life, but we can have a life filled with hope knowing that we ultimately have an eternal heavenly home. In the book of John 14:1-3, we find this promise given by Jesus as he prepared to die on the cross for us, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”

One day this world, as we know it, will be no more, the writer describes it as the earth melting away like snow. The bible, in the book of Revelation, also tells us that the world will be replaced by a new world. The good news is that God has already reserved our space in heaven, once we have accepted his son as our personal savior. This is grace: the gift of eternal life.

Click to Hear Chris Tomlin Sing Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone)