Psalm 40:2 “He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.”
I don’t call myself a good singer, and I enjoy making joyful noises to Jesus, but many times that’s exactly what they are…noises. So when during our final debrief a few weeks ago, Bryan approached me and prayed for me for an anointing to lead worship, it scared me a little bit. Especially because I know um, exactly, four guitar chords.
Now you should know something about Bryan – he is an incredibly talented worship leader. Not only does he rock a head-banger bangs-in-your-face haircut, but when he plays guitar and sings, the presence of God comes and fills the room in such a unique way. Bryan continually climbs upward after things of the Kingdom and worships with such fervency, it just makes you want more of God. I was curious to see how the prayer that he prayed for me was going to come forth in my life.
The next morning, I woke up and hopped into the pool, my typical morning routine during debrief. Having a pool to swim in is such a luxury – I sought to take advantage of every moment I could get. As I swam, a song started running through my head “The love of the father…the grace of the Son…the peace of the Holy Spirit come…” It was a song I had never heard before – yet I was hearing it like you would hear your favorite song stuck in your head.
Stroke, stroke, stroke. “We sing – Jesus, Jesus.” Stroke, stroke, stroke. “May your kingdom come…” And so it went.
But – there were a few problems that arose that morning:
Problem #1: The pool was quite small (as hotel pools tend to be)
Problem #2: I had no goggles, so I was swimming with my eyes closed
Problem #3: I do not swim straight at all
I knew that the pool was ten freestyle strokes long from one end to the other, but I had a hard time counting with the song running through my head. I would get in the groove, singing and stroking, and then get rudely interrupted by when my hands or head smashed into the wall.
Nonetheless, I was excited about the possibility that God had given me a new song to sing. I was able to borrow a guitar that afternoon, and threw some chords together to go along with the tune. I then shared it during our last morning as a squad, where we shared testimonies of what God had done in our lives.
I called it “What the World Needs” – because this year has been a season of humility for me, where I have a fresh revelation that the world doesn’t doesn’t need me, it needs Jesus…There are three verses – each describing the cry of my heart for the women we encountered in three different countries:
Verse 1: India
I’m on the street in India
and the hand of a child reaches to me.
Her dirt-caked face and torn clothes
Are evidence of her need
Bridge:
She doesn’t need you or me.
Her heart is crying out for something more.
Chorus:
The love of a Father, The grace of the Son
The peace of the Holy Spirit come
Light her fire, Fill her desires
You are the one & only King – so we sing
“Je-sus. Je-sus. Je-sus, Jesus.” (Repeat if desired – we sing)
May your kingdom come; May your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Set the captives free, fill our poverty
O Lord, would you use me? x x x x (tap hand on guitar)
Verse 2: Thailand
I’m in the bars of Thailand
and the eyes of a woman lock with mine
Her painted face puts on a smile
As a man buys her for her time
( Play bridge, then chorus)
Verse 3: Cambodia
I’m at a dump in Cambodia
And tears fall from a mother’s face
Her children spend all day collecting bottles
And it’s not enough, it’s never enough
