in service tonight we sang a worship sort of song that struck a major chord with me. (or was it a harmonic minor? hrmm) i've heard and sung this song dozens of times, and meant every word of what i was saying/singing, and yet tonight as we were singing it and i listened and read the words on the screen, i realized just how counterproductive those words were. they were all but crippling to a Christian walking out her life in faith and all but dismissive of everything God's already done and given us and said to us. now, i know that the heart behind these lyrics is pure and it's not meant to be deceitful or a misrepresentation of God or anything like that. on the one hand that's a seemingly redemptive quality. on the other hand, that makes it all the more dangerous. we're in a time now where ignorance is neither acceptable nor dismissable in the body of Christ. and a large reason why we're still preaching "repent and make things right with God" sermons to Christians who have been saved for years and should be far beyond such "spiritual milk" is that we keep allowing subtle fallacies and unproductive prayers to infiltrate our speech and our worship, and consequently or attitudes and mindsets. The song is called "Give Us Clean Hands"..
now, don't leave me unfriendly comments if that's your favorite praise and worship song. first of all, it's not really praise or worship, and second, it's full of unthinking and unbiblical phrases. "give us clean hands, give us pure hearts"... Jesus did that, remember? "let us not lift our sould to another" ..that's not God's job. He told us to not lift our souls to another, and then gave us the choice to obey. stop trying to make your decisions God's responsibility. now i know you're going to next say that that line is really meant to express "i don't want to lift my soul to another" .. well then, say that. saying things other than what we mean in an effort to convey what we mean is stupid and counterproductive, and it's gotten my generation into alot of trouble.
"God let us be a generation that seeks Your face, oh God of Jacob" .. again, not God's respnsibility He's already proven that He desires us to seek His face, and given us the means to do so. Stop
trying to say "I want this to be a generation that seeks your face, God of Jacob" and start declaring it, and making it happen. and stop letting words deceive you just because they happen to be presented with a catchy melody.
anyway.. i didnt mean to go into all that, but now that i have i think it's good. this is what i wrote during the service when i first was talking to God about this:
How erroneous, the songs we sing
and we never even knew
with our own words, we keep ourselves shut up
trapped below a enfeebling ceiling
why O Lord do we continue to ask
for that which we've already been given?
why do we ask that You allow us
to be that which You's commanded us to be?
Why do we beg You
to assume that which You've given us the power over?
Why do we ask for help
in the things we should not be trying to do at all,
the things which are not our role,
with the intention in our hearts that You should carry us the distance?
How oblivious we can be!
not to see that this would cripple us -
not to see that we cannot leave room for our own credit
and expect Your glory
How deceptive our words have become!
Lord, open our eyes to all that we call to pass
Amen.
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