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JESUS, MY FRIEND IN SONG
Psalm 8:1-6
O Lord, our Lord how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of Him (I am in His thoughts continually), the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the angels and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; and you put everything under his feet…
I’ve often wondered to myself why would the Lord visit me and continue to visit me in the way that He does. I myself more than anyone else know how unworthy I am. People have often asked me why have I been given the privilege to see Him so many times and they’ve never seen Him once. I don’t have an easy answer to that question. I believe that He chooses to show Himself to whom He chooses. In His sovereignty He reveals Himself the way He wants to and to whom He wants to in the way that He wants to. One of the deepest yearnings of my heart and it causes me to weep is that I long for His friendship more than anything else in this world. I’ve endured betrayals innumerable at the hands of family members, ministers and friends. But it has been all worth it just to get a glimpse of Him. I’ve been misunderstood, maligned, accused, taken advantage of, and cast out as evil. But during these times of deep brokenness and confusing times He has come to me and made it alright. No amount of persecution can dim the light that shines from Him when He shows Himself to me as He is.
I recently was having a conversation with a friend of mine who operates in the apostolic. As we were talking he had a vision of me. In this vision my whole body was covered with scars. The Lord then told me, “By my stripes you are healed.” Paul said, “I bare the marks of Christ in my body.” I may not bare physical marks but my soul bares marks innumerable. The good thing is that these scars have been healed and they are the true stripes of authority given unto us to suffer with Him for a little while. I’ve often said, “any warrior that hasn’t been wounded in battle is not worthy of honor.” It is as we receive these stripes by those to whom we are sent that we are then healed and given authority to heal others. Believers in today’s society want to parade their authority mantles before the masses as something to be admired. The truth is that true authority is the Lord’s grace given unto us by faith and then worked in us through, “fear and trembling,” as we suffer with Him for a little while. It is true that a faithful friend will suffer with you till the end.
This leads me to a dream I recently had. I dreamt I was walking with the Lord near the banks of a river. The Lord was at my left and I was between Him and the rivers edge. We walked for awhile as old friends do and did not say anything to each other. I had such a sense of peace and knowing that He understood everything about me and I had no reason to utter a physical word to Him. I also sensed that He was enjoying this walk with me more than I could comprehend. I also had a sense of how secure my future and destiny were in the peaceful friendship we were now sharing together. As we continued to walk I looked down at our feet and I could see the rivers water gently lapping at both of our feet. I could see small stones underneath the clear water as we walked. At one point we looked at each other simultaneously. The Lord smiled as He looked at me and said, “I have given you the songs of my heart and I will continue to give you the songs of my heart, for I am your friend in song.”
I was in awe to know that the songs given unto me come directly from the heart of Christ and being expressed through our friendship. Let me just say that I do not consider myself to be a great musician or singer. At times I write and sing about my personal relationship and experiences I’ve had with the Lord. It is in this way that God has shown Himself to me and continues to do so.
Jesus, your my friend in song, I will walk with you for miles, just to see you smile, Jesus your my friend in song.