All the Day Through

I'm not a huge fan of CCM (contemporary Christian music). I'm of the opinion that much of it is basically pouring water down the Gospel so people will be more willing to swallow it rather than proclaiming Jesus Christ who died to save wretched sinners. But that's another topic. That said, one CCM band who I do very much enjoy listening to is Jars of Clay. They have their share of crappy stuff, but they have some amazing music also. Also, Dan Haseltine (the lead singer) is going to be on the next Indelible Grace CD...how cool is that? Of their music, one of my favorite songs is the one they did on the first City on a Hill CD, titled This Road. The central plea of this song is in the chrous: "This road that we travel, may it be the straight and narrow; God give us peace and grace from You...all the day through"

I love that text. Several truths are contained in there that this song brings to my memory every time I sing it. The first truth that I remember is that there is a straight and narrow road that God has given to us, and that through the grace of His preservation we (more or less) stay on it. But the second truth is that God does give His children grace and peace. We may not be constantly happy and satisfied about everything, but a sense of grace and peace does, in fact, resonate in our lives. That isn't just something that ought to happen, but something that basically does happen as God continues His work within us.

One of the greatest gifts God gives us, along with the grace to cover all of our sin, is His peace. How liberating it is when we remember that we have peace with God! That knowledge and hope then pervades the rest of our being in a way that is inexplicable to the unbeliever. And it lasts. That doesn't mean that we're never upset or unsettled about things, but that the peace that we have remains through that, and we are able to remember that though trials should come, God's grace and mercy are greater, and we are His own. And because God preserves us, we have this grace and peace "all the day through". What an amazing, amazing blessing!

"Lord of all, to Thee we raise, this our hymn of grateful praise" (Pierpoint)

Luke