Everybody needs a hand to hold
To have a reason not to break
Everybody with a heavy load
Rest is on it’s way
Hey, so I get to present a song off Smitty’s new record Wonder (Not Far Away). I’m very amped about it. Grab a coffee, take a listen to it here and if you’re ADD you can read this while you’re listening…
I was super excited to hear this song because it resounds a theme in scripture that has been on my heart for most of this last year. In fact the theme of this song, is the title of our next recording (coming very soon) called ‘Our God is near’.
Above any other message during his time on earth, it was the nearness of God’s kingdom that Jesus preached most about. ‘Go into every town and city preaching the good news that the kingdom of God is near’. God’s kingdom, is at hand, His kingdom is within reach… And it’s the nearness of God’s Kingdom that defines the news as ‘good’. It is surprising and wonderful and completely unexpected.
I remember listening to Louie preaching on this at Christmas time while on tour with Tomlin. What’s so amazing about the Christmas story is that God, knowing exactly how broken and needy and messy our lives are, nevertheless chooses to draw near and make His home with us. As Eugene Peterson puts it ‘the word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood’ (John 1). And what’s particularly special about the incarnation is that God knew that Mary and Joseph didn’t even have a bed to bring Jesus to, never mind a bed! God, the creator of heaven and earth, chooses to be with us in our most difficult and darkest times. His Kingdom has broken in, and continues to break into our lives despite, in fact, because of our brokenness… And when God rules, when His kingdom comes, my world, your world – the world – is set right! Isaiah spells it out in chapter 60. He heals the heartbroken, he brings freedom to captives, he brings comfort to those who mourn, he brings sight to the blind, he brings joy for those who weep, peace in every sense is restored to the earth. And the God who does all these things, is not far away. Our God is near…. Or as Michael puts it
Everybody has enough to bear
Everyone feels the strain
There’s a lot that really isn’t fair
But isn’t more than you can take
Everybody needs a hand to hold
To have a reason not to break
To Everybody with a heavy load
Rest is on it’s way
You’re not far away
You’re not far away!
On a much, much lighter note, Smitty’s record release is ‘not far away’ either. Ha!! (Bloggers. What you gonna do?) It’s out September 28th at stores everywhere. If you would like to win a free copy of it, head across to my Facebook fanpage and sign up as a fan. The 1500th fan will get one posted to em….
