God Speaks... Through Music
One evening last week, the song "Way Maker" came into my head. I have not listened to that song in quite some time, yet my subconscious brain decided to start playing it in the background of my thoughts. Eventually, I started to pay attention to the lyrics echoing in my mind:
Way Maker. Miracle Worker. Promise Keeper. Light in the darkness. My God, that is Who You are!
I thought about those four characteristics of God. Way Maker... Miracle Worker... Promise Keeper... Light in the darkness... Then, I began to ponder the meaning of each one.
Way Maker: This past year, I felt so lost in what and where to go in life. I felt stuck, confused, and defeated. Every time an opportunity seemed to open, the door would slam in my face. Every time it looked like God was leading toward something, He would then tell me “No”. I would then go to Him with clenched fists asking, “Then why was it originally open? Why would You taunt me with that? Where the heck are You leading me??” Every time, to my surprise, He’d reply back to my anger with Love: “I'm so glad you came back to Me with your doubts and questions, Beloved. I have something better for you. For now, just trust Me in this season of waiting.” After a year of waiting, I am now experiencing that better plan He was calling me to wait for, and I am grateful! He is a Way Maker, though it is rarely (if ever) the way we imagine. But it’s better!
Miracle Worker: I have seen Him do miracles in my life time and time again. Because of Him, I can speak and reason with people. Because of Him, I have experienced His radical Love. Because of Him, I am born and born again into life and eternal Life. Because of Him, I have purpose and hope. Because of Him, I have tasted and seen the goodness of God. Because of Him, I am still here on this life journey. Because of Him, I can love and feel loved. All of this and more is because of Him and the mighty miracles He has done and continues to do in my life.
Promise Keeper: When I hear this, I cringe because I think we view God’s promises as only good things. I think people view God’s promises like a genie in a bottle, where He grants us some wishes and then will promise to give us our desires. That is messed up theology. Did you know God promises trouble in this world (John 16:33)? Did you know that He promises family conflicts due to the gospel (Matthew 10:34-37)? Did you know that He has called us to a life of suffering for the glory of God (2 Timothy 3:12, Romans 5:3-5)? However, even though He promises rough moments, He also promises that He has overcome the world, and we who are in Christ should hold onto that truth as our key to victory (1 Corinthians 15:57). His promises are good, but they are good because He is good, not because we get good stuff from Him.
Light in the darkness: There is a profound truth in this phrase characterizing God. There is darkness. There is pain. There is suffering. There is sorrow. There is destruction. Yet, God is Light and is greater than darkness. The psalmist says that “Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5). However, I see one other profound truth. You must be ready for the light. When it is night and dark and scary, you must wait for and be ready to accept His Light. It could be the rising sun that will come in due time, in God’s timing, not your timing nor mine. It could also be a lamp that He has provided to shine bright in the darkness (Psalm 119:105), but you might have hidden it under a basket believing the lie that the evil darkness is somehow better than the lamp from God (Matthew 5:14-16). In either situation, we have a choice. We can wait patiently for His Presence. We can uncover the lamp to expose the messy darkness we’ve been suffocating in. We can chose Light and Life (Deuteronomy 30:19). But it is a choice, so we must choose wisely!
After thinking about these four characteristics of God, I thought to myself, “God, I know You are these and so much more. But I don’t see You as them right now. It doesn’t feel like you are even here right now. Your Truth seems like a lie to me...” After letting those thoughts surface, the bridge of the song played through my mind:
Even when I don’t see it, You’re working. Even when I don’t feel it, You’re working. You never stop. You never stop working!
What I see, what I feel, does not define Who God is. God is God, no matter what my current opinion of Him is. And He is here in my midst, touching my broken heart and mending it, even though I don’t see nor feel any changes. I guess that’s why He has called me to walk by faith, not by my poor eye sight (2 Corinthians 5:7) nor by my turbulent feelings.
I don’t know where you are in life right now, but I promise you that God is still the Way Maker, Miracle Worker, Promise Keeper, and the Light in the darkness. If you need that reminder today, then give this song a listen to and worship Him right where you are.