This song is quite peaceful and soothing, wouldn’t you agree? This song has a substantial meaning for me. The first time I heard it, I remember exactly where I was. I was driving home from a very chaotic day at our church in Uvalde, Texas.
The day after the tragic shooting at Robb Elementary School, I had a long and stressful 15-hour day. I started it in a prayer meeting with the Uvalde Ministerial Alliance. Then I helped the Lutheran Church Charities Comfort Dog teams get acquainted with the city and set up their crosses and blue hearts memorial at the fountain in the downtown square. We also visited with some first-responders and opened our church’s fellowship hall to the Critical Incident Stress Management Texas Taskforce team to use as a base of operation. Their mission was to initiate the primary EMDR counseling session with first responders to start the treatment of PTSD that most of them were sure to have.
I heard at least a dozen first- and second-hand accounts of that fateful day. My heart was aching bad for all the families left shattered and everyone else left broken and lost. When I was about 10 minutes away from home, with tears streaming down my face and pondering life so deeply that I didn’t even hear the music, this song came on. This was my first time hearing it. My tears stopped as I processed the words of the song and everything that had just transpired in our little town.
Then, I began reflecting on my own history. In my own chaos, especially during my time as an active-duty U.S. Marine, I had no idea that God was writing my song. In the most formative years of my adult life, I voluntarily rejected God’s love and forgiveness and I idiotically and actively rebelled against my Almighty Creator in nearly everything I thought, said, and did.
But God, who is always faithful, was writing my symphony. He lined up my craziest measures and used my most chaotic rhythms to create something awe-inspiring and beautiful. It didn’t feel good at the time and it wasn’t an easy part of my life. However, after a long time, God revealed to me what He was doing with me and planning for my future life.
God was preserving me when I performed the most idiotic actions possible; actions that could have cost me my freedom. God was protecting me when I could have been killed, a number of times. God knew that if He didn’t preserve and protect me from harm and danger, in my self-driven stupidity, I would have suffered more than bodily harm and death, I would have been condemned to the pits of hell. I did not believe in Him at the time; I instead believed in me.
I have heard the phrase “follow your heart” probably thousands of times over the years. Usually, the person saying it means well, probably trying to portray some sort of motivation such as: “pursue your dreams” or something. But I think that is a bad saying, especially for children and people in their formative years.
Jesus teaches us that there is nothing external to us that – in putting it internally – will defile us. He said that it is that which comes out of us that defiles us. For from the human heart “come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, [and] foolishness.” (Mark 7:14-23 ESV).
Don’t follow YOUR own heart; follow JESUS!
Despite my best efforts to destroy myself physically and spiritually, God was always there to protect and preserve me, even from myself. God knows everything, even our inner thoughts and desires. God works all things, bad and good, for His good. (Romans 8:26-30). I now have a deeper appreciation for the very well-known Bible verse: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11 ESV). His plan did not involve me succeeding at my self-destruction and selfishness. His plan is greater; His plan is perfect.
God eventually took the scales off my eyes, just like He did for the blind man. He opened them to His purpose for me. I thank Him every day for Him sparing me the rod. I thank Him for making me aware of my life’s symphony that He is still writing and composing. I don’t know where I’m at in my symphony right now, but I can rest assured that God has not finished it yet. And when Judgment Day comes, I shall stand in front of my Almighty Creator, completely unafraid, and completely at peace because of His grace and mercy.
My hope is for you also to have His peace in your own symphony of life. Believe in Him and repent; turn away from your sinful life and turn back to God. He is the author and perfecter of our faiths. His brilliant robe of righteousness, washed white in the blood of the Lamb of God, His Son, Jesus Christ, will cover a multitude of your sins! He will look at the whole of my life’s symphony and hear a beautiful tune, because He wrote it, He preserved it, He protected it, and He delivered salvation into it. Will you let Him write yours? Will you no longer reject Him and His loving grace in your life?
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7 ESV)
Soli Deo Gloria!
Philip Frank
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