Monday, April 07, 2008

Minestrone Musings

It's Monday afternoon. I'm sitting at my desk, enjoying a bowl of semi-homemade minestrone, appreciating the flavors hitting my taste buds, the sunshine warming the brick wall visible outside my window, and the fact that I have half an hour to muse and reflect on life before work bids me back.

Yesterday at church, Andi sang Matt Redman's "God of Our Yesterdays" for the offertory. I'd never heard the song before, but as I sat there and listened, I absorbed the lyrics and felt them resonate within me. (You can read them below, and listen to the song on Matt's myspace page.)

Recent developments in my life have seemed to amplify my awareness of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Getting to know someone means sharing a lot about where you come from...the people, places, and events of your past that have shaped who you are today. And then there's the joy of simply being with that person today, fully engaged in the moment at hand, astounded at the gift of walking down the street, and through life, hand in hand with a person such as this. And then there are all the thoughts and hopes and dreams for the future, for what tomorrow might hold, for what we might see and do and become, both individually and together.

In one of her songs, Sara Groves sings, "And I just showed up for my own life / and I'm standing here taking it in and it sure looks bright / I'm going to live my life inspired / Look for the holy in the commonplace / Open the windows and feel all that's honest and real until I'm truly amazed / ... Oh the glory of God is man fully alive."

I'm feeling on the same page with Sara today. The past few weeks and months have been for me a time of coming alive. Of waking up to Christ in me, the hope of glory (Col 1:27). Of thanking God for His grace in my yesterdays. Of praising Him for His peace in my heart today. Of trusting him, with joy, as tomorrow comes.

God of Our Yesterdays by Matt Redman
We were in the darkest night
And wondered if our eyes would ever see the light
You were there, Lord
We were in the storm again
And wondered if we’d ever live in peace again
You were there, Lord

You were there in the struggle
You were there in the fight
You were there all the time

We praise you, the God of our yesterdays
We praise you, the God who is here today
We praise you, our God, as tomorrow comes

So whatever lies ahead
Whatever roads our grateful hearts will come to tread
You’ll be there, Lord
And we will fix our eyes on you
And know that there is grace enough to see us through
You’ll be there, Lord

You’ll be there in the struggle
You’ll be there in the fight
You’ll be there all the time

We praise you, the God of our yesterdays
We praise you, the God who is here today
We praise you, our God, as tomorrow comes

We thank you for grace in our yesterdays
We thank you for peace in our hearts today
We thank you, our joy, as tomorrow comes
We will trust you, God

You’re always closer than we know
Always more involved and in control
We will trust our lives to you
The One who was, and is, and is to come!

We praise you, the God of our yesterdays
We praise you, the God who is here today
We praise you, our God, as tomorrow comes

We thank you for grace in our yesterdays
We thank you for peace in our hearts today
We thank you, our joy, as tomorrow comes
We will trust you, God

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Thank you for this post :) And I'm so glad you are enjoying life and all the blessings therein!