Gravity
As we close out the month of love with music and lyrics, I want to share one of the songs I use in order to fall asleep. This week would have been my husband’s birthday, and this song’s message helps calm my mind and settle my heart. The days can seem long, but it’s at night when I turn out the lights that the gravity of empty echoes through the house, especially our bedroom. There is no warmth coming from his side of the bed and the blankets are all mine. No legs to gently slide back on his side of the bed to give me more room and there’s no snoring inches from my ear. All things I would gladly receive.
The song Gravity by Jenn Johnson reminds me that petty things clog my mind and keep me from what really matters to God but I’m not saying my grief is petty. Rather, when I allow my grief to become my major focus without bringing God into the equation, I lose sight of the truth. Death bowed to God. God lives, but death is still in the grave.
Jenn offers us the opportunity to close our eyes and envision taking God by the hand as He gives us a small taste of His vantage point. On the nights when my shadows are darker than I can handle, I take my focus off my grief. Instead, I envision what I might experience through the eyes and heart of God, as I look out over all that is under His authority and I remember He’s gentle, orderly, focused and patient. Never rushed, overwhelmed or out of control.
Gravity
by Jenn Johnson (Bethel)
Bethel Youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHlRSZkz5vU
I get caught up
In all these petty things
Losing sight of what matters to You
But then You come
And take me by the hand
You say, “Come up here with me”
And then my feet came off the ground
You lifted me above the clouds
As I look down the whole world seems so small
Past the stars through space and time
And I forget what’s left behind
As I’m surrounded by these grander things
Up here in perfect harmony
You’re orchestrating galaxies
They’re lighting up as far as I can see
The majesty
The mystery
Your gravity
Pulls me close to You
And I can breathe again
Here with You
There’s nothing more to say
And it’s clear what matters to You
Sovereign
High above it all
Sovereign You are
I can rest
‘Cause it’s all in Your hands
Sovereign You are
The line that pulls me into His heart is, “There’s nothing more to say and it’s clear what matters to You.” It falls fresh on my heart with the sweet revelation that I am what matters to God. It is a healing balm to this fractured heart.
Jenn’s calm melody reminds me that God is not outmatched on any level and that helps me rest in God’s ability to handle everything. Without the added pressure of trying to get all my questions answered, I’m free to explore this life, His heart and who He is in the midst of tragedy. Every revelation of Himself tells me who I am.
At my age, a tad bit more than a half a century into my my life, I have yet to find anyone other than Christ, who consistently delivers in an intimate way that is also on a level of grandeur that is too lofty for me to absorb. But we can get a small taste in the here and now by remembering to hold our pain and questions up against who He reveals Himself to be in every circumstance of life. Not who we think He is or who we want Him to be and not even who people tell us He is but rather letting His love pull us into His heart and intimately show us His heart for us.
NOW LIVE LOVED and THRIVE!
Self-Reflection
These questions are in no way a substitute for healthcare professionals or any level of professional counseling. I’m an advocate for taking care of oneself mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. These questions reflect my heart, NOT my profession.
This questionnaire is an opportunity to journal your thoughts and feelings. It can serve as a launching pad on which to evaluate your heart condition as you understand it. My hope is that you will take the truths you discover about yourself and hold them up to the Light to evaluate them against who God says you are.
- Are you holding on to petty things by not measuring them against who God is? If so, what are they?
- What do you think matters to God? Explain.
- What matters to you? Explain.
- What does sovereign mean to you?
- What is the biblical definition of sovereign?
- Have you ever known a man who was/is able to fulfill God’s promises? Explain.
- Has God failed you? If so, explain why/how you feel He failed you.
- Find a scripture to defend your reasoning behind why God failed you.
Talk to God about your answers. Give Him praise, ask Him questions and then listen for His gentle response.
Take Action
Use God’s word to take control over the traumas in your life. Whenever you feel terrorized by your thoughts take them captive by replacing them with the truth of God’s promises in His word.
Here is a scripture for you to print, cut and carry with you and/or post in places where you will see it often. Ground yourself in God’s truths not Satan’s attacks. Encourage your heart and mind every time you are reminded of His great love for YOU!
“But you, God, shield me on all sides; You ground my feet, you lift my head high” Psalm 3:3 (MSG)
When you read God’s love letter to you in His Bible, say this to yourself: God’s love surrounds me on all sides. He hems me in His thoughts. His love is my greatest defense. His love grounds me and enables me to lift my head when everything around me says otherwise.
