I’ve been listening to Don Moen’s songs again after detaching myself from religious practices for a few years. His songs usually make me stop and think or make me stop and then cry. But most of the time he makes me sing along with him. In that way, he’s like Jose Mari Chan of gospel singers. The latest song that made me stop is “Be It Unto Me”:
Be it unto me
According to your Word
According to your promises
I can stand secure
Carve upon my heart
The truth that sets me free
According to your Word O Lord
Be it unto me
You promised to carry our sorrows
Lord, we believe it’s true
You promised unending tomorrows
Lord we receive them from you
You be our provider
In your word it’s revealed
And by the stripes that you bore
Lord we have been healed
In Luke 24: 1-10, we read about women who discovered an empty tomb and their (possibly) hair-raising encounter with two men in dazzling clothes who “suddenly” appeared beside them and helped them remember Jesus’ words. They had an Aha! moment when they finally made the connection between The Teacher’s previous teachings about himself and the overwhelming hardships they recently encountered from Jesus’ persecution to execution to resurrection. Jesus said all these things would happen. It happened. They finally understood that what they were exposed to were not just empty words of hope from a radical Teacher but an actual fulfillment of God’s promises.
Yet this can still be confusing. Did Jesus really resurrect? It didn’t take long for them to get an answer to that for they soon saw Him in person. Oh how blessed these people were to be standing in the same room with the resurrected Jesus!
For those of us in this day and age, our challenge is believing that (1) these things actually happened in history and (2) that Jesus is what He say He is. The yearly Holy Week traditions allow each of us to ask the question “Do I really believe?” and hopefully we come out of our introspection with a deeper understanding of why we believe and a renewal of our commitment to share the good news. Yes, i-chismis natin that Jesus died, was resurrected and is ever present in our lives today. And that all this drama happened because God loves us enough.
What Don Moen’s song does in “Be It Unto Me” is to remind us that there are promises and there’s fulfillment of those promises. Just like what the two men in dazzling clothes did for the women after resurrection. The song reminds us that if we actively expose ourselves to God’s Word, it will enrich our understanding of what God said He/She would do, what God has done and can do in our lives. Parang kapag may nagsabing “Mahal kita at hindi kita iiwan kailanman,” ibang-iba yung richness nung experience ng taong pinangakuan at nakita ang fulfillment ng promise na yun compared sa ibang taong nakwentuhan lang ng enduring love story nila. Reading and contemplating on the Bible is like allowing Jesus to be present beside us and just let Him guide us with the connections between His teachings and its relevance to our experiences today. It’s making God’s promises as well as Jesus’ intent, teachings and experiences personal. We are transformed from being mere passive spectators to being active witnesses of God’s character. Just like the women in the tomb.
Try it. Observe the difference in your experience of God and His/Her involvement in your life. Share your own Aha! moment with us.
Carve upon my heart
The truth that sets me free
According to your Word O Lord
Be it unto me
Written by: Red Macalalad