Loving-kindness - The Favor and The Shame

Okay.. So the band arrived at the location in plenty of time for the festival; and we were on-top of things in that we were already ministering even before we moved the equipment into the performance area. There seemed to be such a radical response to our sharing the Gospel that tension began to fill the air. There was a shout in the midst of the crowd that said “take a stand or get out!”. The next thing I knew, Josh(my oldest son) and I were right in the midst of an old fashion, fist flinging, snot flying, jaw busting brawl(By the way my wife Yolanda was taking photos through the whole thing). As this scene was in the fulness of it's fury, I suddenly realized we had forgotten all our gear for the show (Go figure!).

As I tried to make my way back through the “crazy” crowd, I was stopped again and again by familiar faced people carrying broken musical instruments. This very strange assortment of musicians all wanted to sign up for our evening worship known as the “Exchange”; all of them wanting to perform for the Lord on whatever broken instrument they were carrying.

Suddenly a calm came over the rambunctious crowd, it parted in two, and Joshua stepped forward. He was obviously shaken, disheveled, and was bearing a “boxing been good to me” nose; but there was a peaceful ear to ear smile that carried the message of the moment. Standing in his battered glory he said, “We are Okay; now we can worship!” With pride I reached out to touch his battered face and …. I WOKE UP!
                      O God, Thou art my God; early will I seek thee (early will I seek thee):
                      O God, Thou art my God; early will I seek thee (early will I seek thee):
My soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee, in a dry and thirsty land … where no water is.
                      O God, Thou art my God; early will I seek thee (early will I seek thee):
                      O God, Thou art my God; early will I seek thee (early will I seek thee):
To see … Thy power, ….and Thy glory, so as I ...have seen Thee … in the sanctuary.
                      O God, Thou art my God; early will I seek thee (early will I seek thee):
                      O God, Thou art my God; early will I seek thee (early will I seek thee):
Because …Thy loving-kindness ... is better … than life, my lips shall praise Thee where no water is.                        O God, Thou art my God; early will I seek thee (early will I seek thee):
                      O God, Thou art my God; early will I seek thee (early will I seek thee):
{Sorry you can't hear this song as performed by Blushing Well – but it is based on Psalm 63:1,2,3}

The last verse line was singing in my heart as the dream began to fade... “BECAUSE” – the cause, what is the cause of true Worship? “THY LOVING-KINDNESS” - There is only One source “God” - but the Hebrew word for loving-kindness carries the weight of “the favor and the shame” (meditate on this awhile). There is both favor and shame that must be borne in an extravagant relationship that “IS BETTER THAN LIFE”.

Pay close attention: The proper response to this loving-kindness is “abandonment”. When we are fully captured by His loving kindness, we will abandon whatever love source we would have trusted prior to being confronted by Him. “God is the cause of true worship with our lips, from our souls, by a loving-kindness that is better than life”. His loving-kindness spans the great gulf that is fixed between here and Heaven. Our connection with Him is permanently established by His Loving-kindness.

His loving-kindness reaches beyond the green and growing, beyond the birth, beyond the relationships of earth, beyond the community of saints, beyond anything that sustains on this side of the veil, beyond our off key singing, beyond our broken instruments, beyond our struggles to unify, beyond our passion to love, beyond our efforts to heal, and beyond our risks to understand. His Loving-kindness has a Name above every name: JESUS! Therefore my lips will praise Him “where no water is”.

HLFA,

Jeff