photo:
One of our hostas from earlier this year. I love me a good hosta. BEAUTIFUL and green and lush.
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Over a year ago, Hunter was the guest preacher at one of the churches in our area.
The service was great.
Next up on the order of worship was a song that I'd never heard before.
Wow.
You know when you encounter a new song and it just sort of hits you between the eyes with its truth and power?
Well that's what happend to me that morning with this song.
I've already stated here on my bloggity blog about how much I love TREES.
This song uses several metaphors about how the Lord miraculously restores and renews us.
About how he brings us new life.
One of those metaphors has to do with a burned out forest being renewed into springtime green.
The concept of renewal taking place in a devastated forest would be so beautiful and miraculous.
Somehow that metaphor really speaks volumes to me in terms of what the Lord has done and is doing in my life.
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You Have Redeemed My Soul
You have redeemed my soul from the pit of emptiness.
You have redeemed my soul from death.
I was a hungry child, a dried up river.
I was a burned out forest, and no one could do anything for me.
But you put food in my body, water in my dry bed.
And to my blackened branches, you brought the springtime green of new life.
Of a new life.
And nothing is impossible with you.
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Wow.
I don't know who wrote those lyrics.
Here's a clip of Waterdeep performing this song at a house concert. You can watch this clip to hear the melody of the song:
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Another one of the reasons I love this new song:
it overlaps with one of my very favorite scripture passages.
From Isaiah 35:
1 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad;
the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus;
2 it shall blossom abundantly
and rejoice with joy and singing.
5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.
For waters break forth in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert;
7 the burning sand shall become a pool,
and the thirsty ground springs of water;
10 And the ransomed of the LORD shall return
and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain gladness and joy,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
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The already and the not yet:
Lord, please bring streams of grace into the desert places of my daily life...
...while I await the day on which the soorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Daily renewal now.
Full renewal to come.
