In the last week I've fallen in love with a band called "Florence and the Machine" I heard their song "Dog Days Are Over" in the movie "Eat.Pray.Love" & again at the end of last night's Glee episode. Their debut album called "Lungs" is fantastic & I highly recommend checking it out. I swiped it from a friend & was highly impressed. If indie rock & soul music had a baby, it would be Florence and the Machine. :) I'll get back to why this is relevant in a second.
Since mid October I have been learning what it means for God to be my sustainer. I have always heard people say that God gives them strength or energy or that He sustains them, but I've never really understood what that meant, til recently. I think this is one of those things that you can't ever truly understand or get until it happens to you. Currently God is transferring head knowledge to heart wisdom & its stunning yet grueling.
I've been running on empty since mid October for various reasons & just really feeling like life's bitch. Now when I say empty, i mean empty like, there is absolutely NOTHING in the tank . At the top of every hour I literally pray for God to help me survive the next hour while thanking Him for helping me survive the previous one. God being my sustainer means that I am accutely aware of just how dependent upon Him I am for EVERYTHING. I think I've always known this in my head, but now I'm learning it in my heart. A.W Tozer puts it like this in his book "Knowledge of the Holy" "God is our environment the way water is to fish and air is to birds." If either one of these animals is removed from its essential living environment, it dies-so it is with man & God.
I must say though, that there is something breath-takingly beautiful about being in a place where you are so aware of your need for God. There is something exquisite & encouraging about a God who will empty you completely so that He can fill you up with all that He is, which is always more than enough. There is something totally ravishing about a God who draws near to His people in times of trials & doubt. And there is something absolutely resplendent about a God who actually makes us stronger, better people in the midst of our weaknesses. And what's more sublime is that all this ONLY makes sense in the topsy-turvy, seemingly upside down kingdom of God.
Now back to Florence and the Machine. On their album that I swiped with the utmost respect, the last track is called "You've Got the Love" and its a cover by another band called "The Source" The lyrics are powerful, relevant & honest (and it has a catchy beat!). Here they are:
Sometimes i feel like throwing my hands up in the air
I know I can count on you
Sometimes I feel like saying "Lord I just don't care"
But you've got the love I need to see me through
Sometimes it seems that the going is just too rough
And things go wrong no matter what I do
Now and then it seems that life is just too much
But you've got the love I need to see me through
When food is gone you are my daily meal
When friends are gone I know my Saviour's love is real
Your love is real
You got the love (6X's)
Time after time I think "Oh Lord, what's the use?"
Time after time I think it's just no good
Sooner or later in life, the things you love you loose
But you've got the love I need to see me through
You've got the love (6x's)
Sometimes I feel like throwing my hands up in the air
I know I can count on you
Sometimes I feel like saying "Lord I just don't care"
But you've got the love I need to see me through.
