Behind The Song: The God Of Our Fathers

Our church is going through a series called, “The God Of Our Fathers,” so I decided to write a song to accompany the series (yes, it has the same name). I’m a huge fan of churches writing their own songs (I’ve done so twice with this one and that one). There is something powerful about writing songs for a specific time with a specific group of people in mind. In my experience, it tends to bond a church in a unique way.

We’re using this series to highlight God’s perfect plan for imperfect people. Seriously, when you take a closer look at our forefathers, you really wonder why God chose them. One of them was a hundred year old adulterous coward whose wife literally laughed at God and another was a liar who tricked his blind dad into giving him his brother’s blessing (yeah I see you, Jacob). And that’s only two of our forefathers! To simply say that their stories were “messy” would be quite the understatement. Nevertheless, God worked through them. No one was too broken for Him to restore, too far gone for Him to redeem or too faulty for Him to work through. His plan to bless the world and glorify His name through them was never compromised.

As I study these stories, I find hope for my own. I have failed countless times. When I say one thing, I do another. When I try to do what’s right, I somehow distort it into something wrong. Even now, I am amidst a season of God revealing my utter brokenness. Yet He still uses me. He still accepts me when I run to Him covered in my filth. He still forgives me when I say “I’m sorry” for the thousandth time. He is ever faithful, ever loving, never changing.

But You are the same,
And Your years will not come to an end.

Psalm 102:27 (NASB)

Do we believe that? Do we see the God of the Bible as our same God today? 2017 isn’t a “different time” to God. His promises and character are the same yesterday, today and forevermore! The challenge for us isn’t to get God to work in our lives like He did in Biblical times. The challenge for us is to see that He never stopped working! The cross of Jesus give us full confidence that God is always working. We may not fully understand what’s going on (and I’m sure our forefathers didn’t either in the everyday details of their lives), but we can trust Him. He knows what He’s doing.

Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; but just as it is written,

“Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard,
And which have not entered the heart of man,
All that God has prepared for those who love Him.”

1 Corinthians 2:6-9 (NASB)