Respectfully Mystified once more! After nearly five decades into this life journey, it seems as if there would be a diminishing effect to being utterly flabbergasted at how God chooses to “speak” into my life, but once again, I sit here in open-mouthed wonder at the unique approach my Savior employs to communicate with me. Now, before you conjure up an image of me sitting comfortably in the nook of my sage green, rolled-arm sectional with a t-shirt quilt on my lap engaged in a verbal exchange over a diet Dr. Pepper, please allow me to provide a little context. At the present time, I have never heard an audible voice that I associate with God. In fact, if He chooses to use that avenue of communication, I would most likely die of fright right on the spot; however, I am confident of how frequently the Lord opens my heart with lyrics from songs, messages in Scripture, words of affirmation from friends, and nudges to my soul when I am willing to Be Still and listen.

The question I pose to you today is this: can you recall the last time when you were keenly aware that God was using song lyrics to touch your heart which allowed you to experience a period of worship? Touching on this concept slightly in the post Never Let Go and being reminded of how impactful Lasting Lyrics can be, I offer Ken Costa’s perspective that although we often associate it with songs, “It’s important to point out that worship is not confined to music…Rather worship is a broad term describing any display of surrender, praise, and submission to the name who is above all other names, Jesus Christ.” The Lasting Lyrics from songs such as Through It All, The Anchor Holds, Have You Seen Jesus My Lord, and hundreds of others, including nearly every song on Lauren Daigle’s Look Up Child, provide me an opportunity to worship through music; however, I often think that we miss the fact that God is calling us to worship him through our vocational callings too.

Reading Know Your Why for the first time in 2016, which led to a life-calling presentation in my college courses, I was prompted again this week to consider my God-given purpose and calling in life as I was challenged to write a life plan as suggested by Hyatt and Harkavy in their book entitled Living Forward. Both books emphasize the necessity to grasp our life’s mission and to consider our vocation as an extension of our worship of the Creator. Costa shares, “It means performing our day-to-day work with honesty and integrity, not to gain the praise of our superiors, but to honor God in everything we do…Through worship we lay down even our callings to ensure that we remain submissive to his will.” Many of the Lasting Lyrics from music played through my speakers this week underscores this need to be mindful to worship through my career, even on days when it seems fruitless and lonely.

Costa’s insightful assessment of worshipping through our vocation and allowing our hearts to be filled through the Lasting Lyrics of countless musical artists, combined with my passion for equipping emerging generations, I conclude this post with another moving message from him:

“I am often asked why modern worship has had such a profound effect on young people globally. There are, of course, many reasons, but I am always particularly struck by the way in which the [Lasting Lyrics] of many contemporary worship songs reach untapped longings in the younger generation’s hearts, connecting with zeitgeist of the age in a profound way. The words capture their yearnings for something deeper. This generation that has grown up with quick fixes, with knowledge just a Google search away, with relationships that are rarely more than skin deep. So many are searching for depth-something that gives a sense of purpose and belonging. And this is what worship is able to offer. It helps put into words and music something we might otherwise struggle to express.”

Ken Costa, Know Your Why

So, I return to the question above: can you recall the last time when you were keenly aware that God was using song lyrics to touch your heart which allowed you to experience a period of worship? If your answer is yes, please consider sharing it in the comments below.

References:

Costa, K. (2016). Know your why: Finding and fulfilling your calling in life. W Publishing.

Hyatt, M. & Harkavy, D. (2016).  Living forward: A proven plan to stop drifting and get the life you want. Baker Books.