I was reading this passage in Ecclesiastes this morning...
“Guard your steps and focus on what you are doing as you go to the house of God and draw near to listen rather than to offer the [careless or irreverent] sacrifice of fools; for they are too ignorant to know they are doing evil. 2 Do not be hasty with your mouth [speaking careless words or vows] or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter before God. For God is in heaven and you are on earth; therefore let your words be few.” Ecclesiastes 5:1-2 Amplified Bible
I was thinking to myself, I generally don’t make vows to the Lord or offer the “sacrifice of fools”. But then I consider not what I speak, but what sing. Songs like, “I Surrender All” or “Have Thine Own Way, Lord”, I need to take a step back and reflect if my words in song are congruent with my life.
Consider these lines,
“All to Jesus I surrender. All to Him I freely give. I will ever love and trust Him, In His presence daily live.” Now what I mean, is “All to Jesus I surrender (except for my husband, children, grandchildren, my 401k, my health, and of course my cell phone.”
Then there is the hymn, “Have Thine own way, Lord!”
“Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way! Thou art the Potter, I am the clay. Mold me and make me after Thy will. While I am waiting, yielded and still”.
Say what? What I mean is “Have Thine own way Lord. Have Thine own way… so I look like You, but don’t make me uncomfortable or take things out of my life that I enjoy. You can mold me to a point, but then you'd better check in with me and see if I am okay with it. That’s all”
When I consider all the words that come out of my mouth…not just the ones that I speak, but the ones that I sing as well, I slow down. Do I really mean these words?
Perhaps that is why there is such relief to my soul when I sing hymns like, “Come Thou Fount” or “Amazing Grace.” These hymns provide words to the true condition of our hearts and our ability to be holy and committed.
“Come Thou fount of every blessing. Tune my heart to sing Thy grace. Streams of mercy never ceasing. Call for songs of loudest praise. Teach me some melodious sonnet. Sung by flaming tongues above. Praise the mount, I'm fixed upon it. Mount of Thy redeeming love.
Here I raise my Ebenezer. Here by Thy great help I've come. And I hope by Thy good pleasure. Safely to arrive at home. Jesus sought me when a stranger. Wandering from the fold of God. He to rescue me from danger. Interposed His precious blood.
Oh, to grace how great a debtor. Daily I'm constrained to be. Let Thy goodness like a fetter. Bind my wandering heart to Thee. Prone to wander, Lord I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love. Here's my heart, oh take and seal it. Seal it for Thy courts above."
Or Amazing Grace
“Amazing grace! How sweet the sound. That saved a wretch; like me! I once was lost, but now am found, Was blind, but now I see. Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved. How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed.”
Ah, these hymns call it like it is. He is faithful. He is full of grace and mercy. And me…I am prone to wander…always want to go the other direction. Praise the Lord that He delights in seeking and saving the lost and He specializes in going after the wandering sheep…the sheep that think the grass is greener on the other side. May we be quick to listen to His voice and slow to speak.