Finally Home

Genius surprised me tonight. I had it build me a playlist based on the Newsboys version of Mighty to Save. I put the playlist on shuffle as I headed out the door for my walk...and ended up not recognizing most of the songs I heard. Some were slightly familiar, a couple were very familiar, but I don't recall hearing most of them before (that's not to say I hadn't, I just don't remember it.)

However, I try to keep an open mind and I told myself to listen to the music, listen to the words, and listen to the message:

"Everybody falls sometimes. Gotta find the strength to rise from the ashes and make a new beginning…life is so much more than what your eyes are seeing. You will find your way, if you keep believing."
What Faith Can Do - Cutlass

"Remember, Christ our Savior was born on Christmas day to save us all from Satan's power, when we were gone astray."
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - Mercy Me


"You are more than the choices that you've made. You are more than the sum of your past mistakes. You are more than the problems you create. You've been remade."
You Are More - Tenth Avenue North


"You do not faint. You won't grow weary. You're the defender of the weak. You comfort those in need. You lift us up on wings like eagles. Our God, You reign forever. Our hope, our strong deliverer. You are the everlasting God."
Everlasting God - Jeremy Camp

"You speak with thunder and lightning, your voice shakes the mountains, the foundations of the earth. All I can offer is this fragile breath; with each one I'll praise You, with each one I'll praise You more."
This Fragile Breath - Todd Agnew

Those are just a few of the lyrics that jumped out at me, reminding me of the gift, the love, the grace, and the strength that are offered to me every minute of every day all because God became man and took on the sin of the world. These songs often help me peel back 2,000 years of human interpretation, doctrine, and get down to the core of what Jesus was really about.

As much as I was enjoying some "new" music,  He saved the best for last, the song I needed to hear the most:

"There's so much I want to say. There's so much I want you to know. When I finally make it home when I finally make it home.

Then I'll gaze upon the throne of the King. Frozen in my steps and all the questions that I swore I would ask…words just won't come yet. So amazed at what I've seen; so much more than this old mind can hold…When I finally make it home when I finally make it home.

And the sweetest sound these ears have yet to hear, the voices of the angels. When I finally make it home when I finally make it home."
Finally Home - MercyMe

Bart Millard wrote the song song about his dad, but the message rings true for many of us. Tonight, it reminded me that it's OK...acceptable...to look forward to that day. I don't have to feel bad about wanting to be there. About wanting to see my wife and daughter again. Even if God blesses me with someone new between now and then...I don't have to give up that dream, that hope. It also reminded me that as great as that reunion will be, I can't begin to comprehend what it will be like to stand before the throne, to be in the presence of the one true God. I can't pretend to know what it will be like to hear the angels sing. I can guess...but that's all it is...a guess.

Father, I offer my brokenness to you today. As you reveal yourself to me in new and fresh ways, help me keep my eyes on the throne, help me live in such a way that Heaven is here today, not just something to look forward to.