THE LION AND THE LAMB AND ME...

     Let me just say that I believe that when it comes to worship at church most of us...maybe all of us, consider ourselves song selection aficionados. Seriously, some of us would love the chance to pick out the songs sung. However, most of us would rather just render verdict on those that someone else, not nearly as keenly adept as ourselves, has chosen for us. We're much better commentators and critics than actual pickers. I place myself squarely in that tribe.

     Take last week, for instance. Someone said to me, "Well, we're singing The Lion and the Lamb again. Immediately, I was right there with them. I was thinking, "Are we getting paid every time we sing this song? If so, I want to know where all the money is going." So, on Sunday, when the band cranked up The Lion and the Lamb for what seemed like the 89th time recently, my heart was obviously in the right place. Right.

     Curious thing though... God had spent the last few months talking to me about how the Church was His idea, how it was bought with the blood of Christ, how we desperately needed to ask Him to wrestle our hands off the wheel and allow Him to drive (since apparently the deed is in His name). If we ever relinquished control over to Him it would revolutionize, not only our concept of church, but our practice as well. So, that Sunday morning was different. With bad attitude in tow, it was as though God spoke to me and asked, "Is this a concert for your enjoyment or worship for my pleasure. Have you ever considered the fact that I might like this song, and beyond that, that I might enjoy hearing you sing it to me?" (swallow hard)

     I was exposed for the fraud that I am. Sure, I say it's about Him, but in reality, it's really about me. My heart sank to my knees and I was a mess. All I could utter under my breath was, "I'll sing it to you, Lord. I'll sing it for you, Lord." And as I did, my cold, hard heart became softened and warmed. No one in that place knew why the tears welled up in the corners of my eyes but me. I'd been busted...and I knew it. 

     As my attitude did a quick 180, I saw and heard things I had never even heard or seen before. It was an old song sung, in my estimation, too many times. Yet, suddenly, it was as though I had never seen or heard it before. This song, this simple little song was pregnant with powerful truth. 

     Here's a few quick things got taught me in the next 5 minutes or so:

1.  We're much more comfortable with Jesus being our Lamb than we are with him being our Lion. As our Lamb, he dies for us. He is the perfect sacrifice that takes away our sin and makes us holy and right with God. We love that. But, as our Lion he leads us into battle. It's right there in the song..."He's roaring with power and fighting our battles." We're so much more comfortable with the Lamb that was slain and takes away the sin of the world than we are with the Lion of Judah who says follow me into battle and take on the forces of darkness. Why else would the church be in such miserable shape? We're better at admiring our robes of righteousness than we are putting on the breastplate of righteousness and the helmet of salvation and strapping on the sword of the Spirit and heading into battle. I think that's what we hired the pastors for....

2.  The bridge says, "Who can stop the Lord Almighty?" Again and again it resonates. "Who can stop the Lord Almighty?" As I sang that question, God seemed to turn it from a rhetorical one to an actual one. His answer was simple and direct. "You can." What no principalities or powers of darkness has even the least chance of doing, the people of God...His own people...can. Aren't we His body? Aren't we his hands and feet? Aren't we, His Church, the ones...the ONLY ONES...He has poured His power into? Aren't we the Army of the Lord? Aren't we called to "demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." And, that's on a good day.

3.  We have not been called to worship music or to to worship "worship". We are called to worship God. It seems in the Worship Wars we have lost our way. We're more concerned about the methods of our worship than we are about the recipient of our worship. Hopefully, we are more wrapped up in the satisfaction of the God we adore than we are with the chosen methods of adoration. The WHAT must never take precedence over the WHO. 

     Since I can't seem to shut up lately, let me share one more thing with you. I love to sing. Or maybe I should rephrase that...I loved to sing. Seven months ago, I had surgery on my spinal cord. The incision was made through the front of my neck and, although it fixed and cured my spinal cord, it ruined my voice. They said it would come back, but it never did. The worst part of it all was that I could no longer sing. Oh, I tried, but to little avail. I had a range of about 3 or 4 notes. It broke my heart, but I assumed it was a small price to pay for keeping the use of my arms and legs. It had been seven months, and not only did it not come back, I didn't even see any progress. Until Sunday. As God worked on my heart, apparently, He was working on my vocal cords as well. I didn't even notice until the song was ending. I WAS SINGING! My voice was back. Nothing beautiful mind you, but I was singing and matching every note. Something that I had not even remotely done for the last seven months. Healed heart. Healed voice. Maybe it was just for that song on that day. I guess we'll find out. But, even if it was...I'll take it. 

     Our God is a Lamb. The lamb that was slain for the sins of the world His blood breaks the chains.  Our God is a Lion. The Lion of Judah. He's roaring with power and fighting our battles. Every knee will bow before the Lion and the Lamb.