encouragement

We just returned from a wonderful date to the Andrew Peterson concert on campus in conjunction with the Adopting for Life conference. While we didn't attend the conference, we're thrilled that Andrew Peterson was here and that we could buy tickets to enjoy the great songwriter on a Friday evening! Many songs are wonderful of course by Andrew Peterson, but a few struck me more so this evening...
"Cannan Bound" was encouraging as we think upon the great faith of Abraham and the great faith Sarah exhibited as she followed
"The Far Country" was another which focuses upon Abraham's journey of faith and ours today

Then Andrew Peterson introduced Ben Shive, who Matt and I both enjoyed during the "Behold the Lamb of God" tour where we saw them both with others in December. He shared sad news of a close friend's coming death, and sang the song "Rise Up". The lyrics are important and are below...

Rise Up
Ben Shive
Every stone that makes you stumble,
and cuts you when you fall;
every serpent here that strikes your heel,
to curse you when you crawl,
the King of Love one day will crush them all.
And every sad seduction
and every clever lie,
every word that woos and wounds
the pilgrim children of the sky,
the King of Love will break them by and by.
And you will rise up in the end.
You will rise up in the end.
I know the night is cruel, but the day is coming soon
when you will rise up in the end.
If the thief had come to plunder
when the children were alone,
If he ravaged every daughter
and murdered every son,
Would not their Father see this?
Would not His anger burn?
And would He not repay the tyrant
in the day of His return?
Await, await the day of His return.
Cause He will rise up in the end.
He will rise up in the end.
I know you need a Savior. He is patient in His anger.
But He will rise up in the end.
And when the stars come crashing to the sea.
The high and mighty fall down on their knees.
When you see the Son descending in the sky.
The chains of death will fall around your feet.
You will rise up in the end.
You will rise up in the end.
You will rise up in the end.

As the song continued, and I'd heard it before, I was deeply pierced by the darkness which I'm so surrounded by day in and day out in the lives of many little children I teach. I've been so surrounded that it's almost become an unfortunately new "normal" that I often feel desensitized to... that should never be the case. As this song reminds us, we have GREAT HOPE in Christ's death and the power of His resurrection. I wept for my children in a new way tonight, and pray with all of me that they too will know of Christ's victory over the stings of death they have come to face at such vulnerable and young ages. Please pray for them too. Andrew Peterson followed with his song "All Things New"... quite fitting:
Come broken and weary, come battered and bruised
my Jesus makes all things new, All things new
Come lost and abandoned, come blown by the wind
He'll bring you back home again, home again

I was then struck by the absolute passion which was displayed in Ben Shive as he sung, and obviously as he previously wrote these words. His passion conveyed a deep sincerity. Matt and I have been discussing a similar sincerity among many godly people recently... Dr. Tom Schreiner, John Piper, and David Platt specifically. Their messages are hard and deeply challenging, but they are always delivered out of a sincerity and passion (I have no other words for it) which is captivating. No one else could re-package the same words and convey the messages they do. Their lives are lived in such a way that displays the authenticity of their belief... I can gather that from afar in each case.

I pray that as I close my last year of teaching in these tough places, for this season of our lives (with a baby on the way), I would teach and love little children with a sincerity and passion that conveys the Lord's work even in my daily interactions. There is no other option for which we are called as Christians. Some more fitting Andrew Peterson lyrics from "Let There Be Light"...
The work of our hands is the salt of the earth
The music we make is the light of the world
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine