He never lets go..
My brother is pretty funny when it comes to the idea of repetition. For example, one night several years ago, he heard a new worship song and was so blown away by it, he listened to it 26 times in a row. Yes, 26 times in a row. In contrast, there is a different worship song from an old Passion cd and that really bothers him. In that song, they repeat the same words 18 times in a row, and that drove Hummy crazy. Yes, 18 times in a row. So on one hand, he loved repetition and yet, on the other, it bothered him.
And you know what…..I totally agree with him…..on both of those songs.
As I’ve listened to David Crower Band’s new album, The Remedy, I’ve noticed so much repetition (lyrically) in this album. Many of the songs repeat the same phrase over and over (in one song, there is only about 3 actual lines of lyrics and these are repeated throughout the whole song). At first, I was a little iffy on it. Why so much repeating from such a talented songwriter? Crowder could have filled those songs with more complex rhyme schemes and even deeper truths, right?
Then, if I may put forth my own observation on the album, I realized….A Remedy should be simple. Right? If you were drowning at sea, would you be concerned about the stock market is doing? Or who the Spurs play that night? Or who thought up such a brilliant idea of chocolate cupcakes?
No…you are concerned about one thing. Rescue. Remedy. What you are concerned about is someone getting you a life preserver. Nothing complex, no layers of meaning….no…you are concerned about Remedy. And maybe that is the thinking behind some of the song writing.
There are some great songs on the album but one in particular that I will layout for you here. It’s called “Never Let Go”. Here is the first verse and chorus. Please take the time to read these words.
“When clouds veil sun
And disaster comes
Oh, my soul
Oh, my soul
When waters rise
And hope takes flight
Oh, my soul
Oh, my soul
Oh, my soul
Ever faithful
Ever true
You I know
You never let go
You never let go
You never let go
You never let go”
See what I mean? The whole chorus just repeats a simple phrase, “You never let go” 4 times in a row. And while that doesn’t display Crowder’s gifted songwriting, it is a true statement and it is a truth you can hold onto with God. It’s as if the phrase is a reminder to himself and yet, at the same time, an encouragement to others. Like, he’s telling himself, “Hey, don’t despair, God never lets go of me,” and at the same time, he is encouraging others too by saying, “Hey, don’t’ despair. God never lets go of me.”
My wife and I and our families, have experienced a season of loss. In the last 5 weeks, she has lost her grandmother and a younger cousin. As I write this, I know that I will be going to my grandfather’s funeral tomorrow, as he passed away Monday morning. The past couple weeks we have tasted grieving and said goodbyes of the toughest kind. Sometimes, as the lyric goes, “clouds veil sun,” and it’s a little harder to see the Light.
But, I know, without a hesitation in my heart, that God never…lets…go……..ever.
I know I am a child of God, as I have believed that His Son, Jesus Christ died and rose again to atone for all my sins. Now, I try to treasure God and make Him glorified in my life (which is really, really tough). I am a son of God and I know that He never lets go of me.
Also, I know that God is Sovereign and that means He is in total control. He knows what is coming, He knows the past. He knows what has happened in these last couple weeks. There is nothing beyond His reach. I know this and I believe it to be true.
And I believe that He never…lets…go…of me. Ever.
He is my Remedy. He is my Rescue. He is my Healer when there is hurt.
Psalm 121 says this:
“I will lift up my eyes to the hills—Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.”
That is a good verse to repeat to yourself and even memorize.
How do I summarize and conclude this? How do I end this? I’m not sure. But I will try with something that resonates in my heart.
My favorite cd cover of all time is a rather simple one. It is (I know this won’t be a shock to many who know me) Explosions in the Sky’s 3rd album and the album is called “The Earth is not a Cold, Dead Place.” The cover art for the album is actually really, really simple. Scribbled in handwriting all over in black ink is the words “The Earth is Not a Cold, Dead Place,” over and over and over again….all over the whole cover.
Just those same words. Repeated and re-written. Almost like someone is in despair and trying not to lose their grip on an agonizing situation. They are trying to convince themselves, by writing over and over again, that there is something worth hoping for.
The best part is inside. Those same words are all over the whole cd booklet except for one small spot, near the bottom. In one small area, there is a different phrase. It says this,” The Earth is Not a Cold, Dead Place because you are listening.”
WOW! How cool is that?
That’s dynamite! That’s explosively awesome!
Here’s the spiritual application I take from that and why I’ve always liked it. Look, as you already know, life can be full of tough and trying moments. Cloudy days when the sun is totally veiled. Waters rise, disaster comes. A relationship is lost, a loved one passes away, a loved one makes a terrible decision, someone else gets the promotion, a doctor’s report comes with bad news, whatever the case may be. There can be dark days.
But, I listen. I listen and I hear that a Hope is there. I look to the hills and I know where my Help comes from. It comes from God, the One who made the hill as well as the valley that I find myself in.
And I hear His voice, through His Word, through encouragement from others, through worship, through being outdoors in His creation….and when I hear Him, it is then that I know that this world is not a cold, dead place. Man, there is a reason to hope!! He is the reason to hope!
This Earth is Not a Cold, Dead place because I am listening to Him.
And what He’s telling me is this:
I’ll never let go
I’ll never let go
I’ll never let go
I’ll never let go
I hope this in some way encourages you and points you in the right direction. It is almost 2am. I must get some sleep. As always, please feel free to comment or add your own take.
Thanks for reading.
Walking towards the Light from the cross of a King 
Wow, great post.
that was a bomb post my bromie!! I love that about Explosions… those are our boys. Anyway, I love you man…. keep the posts rollin!