This past Friday I took a friend to the Summer Lights
concert tour in Charlotte, NC. We had an
awesome time worshiping with each artist. Let’s see, there was Jimi Cravity, Meredith
Andrews, Natalie Grant, Jeremy Camp, and Mercy Me. And the whole show was wonderful.
Let’s be honest, I wasn’t expecting much. I knew some of the artists from the radio,
but… I have this natural skepticism towards Christian music, and I’m not sure
why. I listen to it, and there are only
a few songs that bother me because their theology is way off, but…
anyhow I was blessed Friday night, beyond my expectations, with a night of
worship, singing praises to God, lifting my hands, tears pouring down my face
over half the songs…
The songs that made me cry had to do with being broken and
waiting on God’s Hand to move, but then trusting that He is enough even if His
hand did not move to rescue us out of our circumstances. It’s a message that I
have been wrestling with, and needed to hear once again.
So… I’ve screwed up some things in my life pretty well, now.
So I’ve been stuck in a job that’s not going anywhere, kicked out of grad
school, unsure where life is taking me, getting ditched by the guy I was hoping
to date… It’s uncomfortable, and I want out.
God knows I want out. I’ve fasted and prayed, and continue to do so,
holding on to God’s promises, especially Jeremiah 29:11, that God has plans to
prosper me and not to harm me, to give me a hope and a future.
I know I may have to suffer the consequences of my actions
for a long time.
I also know change is inevitable.
The concert. It was so encouraging, singing along,
meditating on the words of each song.
The tagline for the concert was, Escape the Ordinary. So I of course had to weigh in, could a
concert of praise and worship really allow one to escape the ordinary for a
night? And my answer…
The songs forced me to wrestle with God’s Sovereignty, while
encouraging me of his faithful presence. They helped change my
perspective. They didn’t make my
problems disappear, but they did alter how I perceived them, even just for
those few hours.
I wasn’t just encouraged by the music Friday night. My soul
was ministered to and fed by a deep sense of worship and awe of my creator, sustainer,
Father, lover of my soul.
For a little over four hours Friday night, in the sticky
humid summer heat, I did escape the ordinary.
And I was encouraged to help deal with the ordinary problems that seem
insurmountable in this moment.
Can a concert really change your life?
Did this concert change my life? Well, it definitely challenged me to consider
God’s faithfulness to me in all of my circumstances, and it pushed me to trust
God’s provision for me.
I’m trying to decide, when I look back on my life, if I
would point to this concert as a pivotal moment. And… if the goal was to help me worship in
all of life’s circumstances, yes, this concert pointed me there. I didn’t learn
new truths, I was reminded of God’s faithfulness. I needed to hear it sung over
me.
I don’t think it’s a bad thing to “escape the ordinary”. Thank
God for the Summer Lights tour.
