“My house is built upon the stone, A stone so rarely built upon I feel quite foolish and naïve; I took the lead from God’s own Son, A man rejected by his own, his only throne a cross of shame. Jesus, Jesus”
Chorus: “To the Lamb of God who knows me by my name, All the Glory, all the honor, all the praise. To the one my future hope depends upon, I am trusting you, I am trusting you my God.”
“My story’s crazy but it’s true, It started out confusing too, It just gets stranger by the day. I’ve been the blind man on the road, I’ve been the boy running back home, I’ve been the sinner and the saint, but the love of God has never changed. “ Jason Upton, Lamb of God
This powerful song rocks my life each time I hear it. “Rocks” in both the contemporary definition of this word, and “rocks” as in foundationally sound.
I so relate to the second verse and my life does in fact get stranger by the day, as I move deeper into His call and my life better penetrates the fabric of the community which I have learned to love. It seems I am “strangely” called to a place of ministry that fits neither fully the local church, nor is fashioned solely for the secular.
I too can relate to the sinner-saint thing, the boy running home and the blind man on the road. A part of this strangeness is also that on different days, my life still seems to characterize one or more of the above, even at age 62!
Yet in the middle of a life that seems perplexing, even painful at times, God has never changed. The same voice that I heard as a child… “One day you’ll preach the gospel”, the voice that gently guided this wayward prodigal back home, even later challenging me to change cities, before it was ever in vogue. When I worship, He overwhelms me with a joy that at times is embarrassing, given the movement that occurs within me, the tears that flow from me! When I govern as Mayor, or lead in various community service sectors, He provides wisdom beyond my experience and favor I have not earned.
My early morning joy could often be likened to the excitement of Peter and John as they rush to the tomb, upon hearing that He had risen! There they saw the face cloth folded neatly and laid to the side. This was the cloth that had covered the face of Christ, under the layers of grave clothes customary in that day. It appeared to have been discarded by someone and the body was in fact gone.
Then staring into that tomb a moment longer, it dawns on both that the fold of that cloth was similar if not exactly the same as one used by Him when He sat aside the towel that night He had washed their feet…could it have been He who folded the cloth? Then, He must be alive!
Imagine the joy, the gladness with which they left the tomb…running out to tell others and to serve as He had served!
That’s why I get out of bed so early in the mornings! To tell others and to serve as He served, for He has made me glad.