Everything

Find me here, and speak to me
I want to feel you, I need to hear you
You are the light that's leading me to the place
Where I find peace again
You are the strength that keeps me walking
You are the hope that keeps me trusting
You are the life to my soul
You are my purpose
You're everything
And how can I stand here with you
And not be moved by you
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?

You calm the storms and you give me rest
You hold me in your hands
You won't let me fall
You steal my heart and you take my breath away
Would you take me in, take me deeper now
And how can I stand here with you and not be moved by you
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this
And how can I stand here with you and not be moved by you
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this

Cause you're all I want, you're all I need
You're everything, everything 

I love this song. It's by a band of Christians that wouldn't necessarily call themselves a Christian band. That made it a taboo worship song at SAGU. I guess it could be written to/about anyone you love and not necessarily God since the word "God" doesn't actually appear in the lyrics. But I have felt His presence so real when singing/hearing this song I can't even imagine it being written from any place other than a hungry soul who is longing to feel God.

And the lyrics speak once again on something I have held to for many years. There is a lot of hype in the church and hype isn't salvation. It isn't relationship. It is only emotion that does not in itself produce anything except those chemicals in your brain that make you excited. I define hype as anything that makes you feel better but doesn't necessarily provide anything spiritually but only a quick emotional fix. 

Hear my heart. I see hype in the form of big worship productions/concerts that focus on the singers and the songs instead of the God that is to be praised. I see hype in the form of a hug when you are down or crying. And those things can help you, at least temporarily. But it can't last and it can't change you or create spiritual depth for the journey of life.

Most of you would understand why I loathe a worship service that is so emotion driven with highs and lows, put together in a big performance.  I know that God can move in those as I have seen it. But I just don't like when primarily newer Christians run to those things to fix their problems. When there is no devotion life. No foundation on which to stand when the devil attacks. And he will attack because if you are serving God, the devil just doesn't like you. You leave feeling good, but if no one has taught you to cling to the unchanging word of God, you haven't gained anything more than the thrill you get from riding a roller coaster (and I love a good roller coaster and the rush it brings.)

I feel the same way about hugs and emotional support when someone is hurting.  Once again, this is not a bad thing, but when you feel down because the devil is beating you up, you need more than a hug and pat on the back and a "I'm praying for you." You need a backbone and the ability to know what Gods word says and throw it back at the devil and stand your ground. In  Matthew 4 when Jesus had been in the wilderness and was tired and the devil came attacking, he didn't run to his disciples for a group hug. He gave the devil a one two punch of God's word and saw victory.  The victory comes when we stand, not when we get an emotional high.

Ok, back to the song.

God can be your everything, you could have your priorities all lined up and you could be right where God wants you and still have moments (or hours or days) where you don't feel him. And that is fine. It doesn't mean you have lost contact with God or that he's mad at you. That is just the normal spiritual walk. If you felt God's presence so real for every hour, at every moment, you wouldn't have to live and walk and move by faith. And our ability to have faith in God, through the dry times is how we are able to please God. We have to believe that he rewards us when we seek him, even though we may or may not be able to feel him all along the way (Hebrews 11:6)  It's easy to believe God when you feel or see him moving. It's the days where you feel like your blindspot is larger than your visibility that you have to just keep going and walking by faith. Because he is still there and you will see the fulfillment of his words if you just keep going and don't give up. 

Because he really is more than enough for you. Your everything.