Rich Mullins’s “Elijah” and “Be With You”

Dear God, it’s interesting that Rich Mullins died young because he had a couple of really interesting songs about the end of life here on earth and transitioning to you. He probably had more, but these are the two that come to mind immediately.

The first one, which was on his first album, was called “Elijah”

“Elijah” by Rich Mullins

The Jordan is waiting for me to cross through
My heart is aging I can tell
So Lord, I’m begging for one last favor from You
Here’s my heart take it where You will

This life has shown me how we’re mended and how we’re torn
How it’s okay to be lonely as long as you’re free
Sometimes my ground was stony
And sometimes covered up with thorns
And only You could make it what it had to be
And now that it’s done
Well if they dressed me like a pauper
Or if they dined me like a prince
If they lay me with my fathers
Or if my ashes scatter on the wind
I don’t care

But when I leave I want to go out like Elijah
With a whirlwind to fuel my chariot of fire
And when I look back on the stars
It’ll be like a candlelight in Central Park
And it won’t break my heart to say goodbye

There’s people been friendly, but they’d never be your friends
Sometimes this has bent me to the ground
Now that this is all ending
I want to hear some music once again
‘Cause it’s the finest thing that I have ever found

But the Jordan is waiting
Though I ain’t never seen the other side
Still they say you can’t take in the things you have here
So on the road to salvation
I stick out my thumb and He gives me a ride
And His music is already falling on my ears

There’s people been talking
They say they’re worried about my soul
Well, I’m here to tell you I’ll keep rocking
‘Til I’m sure it’s my time to roll
And when I do

When I leave I want to go out like Elijah
With a whirlwind to fuel my chariot of fire
And when I look back on the stars
It’ll be like a candlelight in Central Park
And it won’t break my heart to say goodbye

‘Cause when I leave I want to go out like Elijah
With a whirlwind to fuel my chariot of fire
And when I look back on the stars
It’ll be like a candlelight in Central Park
And it won’t break my heart to say goodbye

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Richard Mullins

There are a few lines of this song at the beginning that really speak to me.

This life has shown me how we’re mended and how we’re torn
How it’s okay to be lonely as long as you’re free
Sometimes my ground was stony
And sometimes covered up with thorns
And only You could make it what it had to be

I just bolded some specific words out of the first two lines here: “This life has shown me…it’s okay to be lonely as long as you’re free.” What an interesting thing that our society has given us. Now, I’m not saying that I want to be subjugated to the government or anything like that, but certainly the two greatest commandments demand that we give up some of that freedom so that we can be your blessing both to you and to others around us. I give up my life for you. I give up my rights to serve others.

I think that is something that frustrates me about the American Evangelical Church right now. It is fighting for its rights and its freedom. I heard a pastor I respect say, “The Church is at its worst when it’s fighting for its own rights, but it is at its best when it is fighting for the rights of others.” I think the same is probably true for us as individuals as well, but we need to make sure that right is a legitimate right that they need.

I think the next lines in that of that stanza I pasted above are even more poetic and meaningful to me: “Sometimes my ground was story//And sometimes covered up with thorns.” Of course, this is an allusion to the parable of the sower (Matthew 13). The stony-soiled heart has no depth or root. No discipleship. The thorny-soiled heart is overrun by the cares of the world. Yeah, there are times when I let my soil get hard and the roots are shallow and fragile. More often, however, my heart is distracted by the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of wealth. When I look back, how much of my life will have been spent providing the Holy Spirit good soil with which to work? No enough.

Then there’s my favorite of Rich’s death songs, “Be with You.”

“Be with You” by Rich Mullins

Everybody each and all
We’re gonna die eventually
It’s no more or less our faults
Than it is our destiny
So now Lord I come to you
Asking only for Your grace
You know what I’ve put myself through
All those empty dreams I chased

And when my body lies in the ruins
Of the lies that nearly ruined me
Will You pick up the pieces
That were pure and true
And breathe Your life into them
And set them free?

And when You start this world over
Again from scratch
Will You make me anew
Out of the stuff that lasts?
Stuff that’s purer than gold is
And clearer than glass could ever be
Can I be with You?
Can I be with You?

And everybody all and each
From the day that we are born
We have to learn to walk beneath
Those mercies by which we’re drawn
And now we wrestle in the dark
With these angels that we can’t see
We will move on although with scars
Oh Lord, move inside of me

And when my body lies in the ruins
Of the lies that nearly ruined me
Will You pick up the pieces
That were pure and true
And breathe Your life into them
And set them free?

And when You blast this cosmos
To kingdom come
When those jagged-edged mountains
I love are gone
When the sky is crossed with the tears
Of a thousand falling suns
As they crash into the sea
Can I be with you?
Can I be with you?

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Benjamin Justin Peters / Richard Mullins

This song is just a simple request. Earth is good. Life here is good. It’s taught me a lot. But it’s just a staging ground. It’s a vapor. Each person has their own course through it. Destiny, if you will. Some were murdered this week in Ukraine, in Uvalde, and in different parts of our country and the entire world. Some died of disease, and some in simple accidents. Unbeknownst to me, my time could be just around the corner. But none of that really matters in the grand scheme of things, I suppose. 100 years from now, with very few exceptions, just about every person who is alive now will be dead. We will all be in the same place. When that happens, this is the request all of us will have: “Can I be with you?” That’s what the TV show “The Good Place” missed. It saw heaven as just a good place that (spoiler alert) got boring. But they missed two things: 1.) the measurement of time as we know it now won’t exist there and 2.) we get to simply be in your presence and I assume that, if time were still measured in the same way, your presence would still make it disappear. No, I’m not worried about getting bored there. I just want to be with you.

Father, help me to prepare fertile soil in my heart for you today. Do it through time with you, through worshipping you with all my heart, mind, soul, and strength. Do it through me learning to love my neighbors better. Do it through your Holy Spirit guiding, comforting, and counseling me in the right direction.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 

Acts 20:24

²⁴ But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.

Acts 20:24

Dear God, this verse has been important to me for almost 35 years. I mentioned to my wife this morning that it was the verse of the day on Bible Gateway, and she asked if it still means as much to me as it did then. I said it does. What I see in this verse is that Paul was willing to walk the path of almost certain destruction (arrest, incarceration, and, ultimately, death) because that was the path you had for him as part of your will being done and your kingdom coming to earth. Should I be any different. If I have life circumstances that are seemingly unfavorable to me or even tragic, maybe that’s just the path you require in my life to mold me into who you need me to be and to mold the lives of others around me to mold them as well.

I was listening to a commentary this morning on Solomon. They talked about his the contradiction in how he asked for wisdom but then did not walk the path of the wise. The speaker suggested that his mistake was that he used his wisdom for his own glory and not for yours. He used it to amass his own fortune, even to the point of disobeying old commands from Deuteronomy about not bringing in horses from Egypt, so that he could have the best. He had the wisdom, but he did not have the humility. Ultimately, all of it corrupted him.

Father, I really don’t want my heart to be corrupted. I want any shred of wisdom I have to be directed towards you and your glory. I want to be at peace in the Holy Spirit regardless of my circumstances. I want to use any privilege I have, whether it be the unspoken privilege of my race or place in society or the financial and time resources you’ve given to me, to worship you with all my heart and love my neighbor as myself. My utmost for your highest, oh, Lord.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 

John 3:16-21

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”
John 3:16-21

Dear God, there is so much to emotionally, mentally, and even spiritually process from the last two days. It’s seems like there are different levels of evil, but it’s hard to know when it’s gone too far. The young man in Uvalde—the evil drove him too far. I don’t know what his motivations were. I don’t know what drove him to crave destruction of so many innocents. I have grieved over the last two days. I’m sure the grief has been terrible for you.

Of course, you grieve like this every day, I’m sure. You see the Uvalde equivalent but on a much larger scale in Ukraine. You see the Uvalde equivalent on a smaller scale in individual homes. You see what we do to each other online. In person. Through our words. Through our actions. Through our silence. You see your children give into hatred and let it feed them. I’ve certainly let anger in me turn into some form of hatred. And all of this just grows in darkness.

Father, help me to really be a source of light—your light—in this world. Help me to experience your complete freedom and joy and then share the opportunity to experience that joy with others. I am your Plan A. Your church is your Plan A. There is no Plan B. Help us to be a light that is willing to shine in the shadows so that your presence might go into all the world.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 

Father-in-Law

Father-in-Law

Dear God, I was watching a marriage video by Gary Thomas with my wife last night as my wife and I prepared to lead discussion today for our couples group from church, and he was talking about this concept. He posted this column back in 2014 that goes along the same lines. It’s a great and powerful concept: If my wife is your daughter then, in some respects, that makes you my father-in-law. When I treat my wife in a certain way, I am also treating your daughter in that way as well. But unlike other fathers-in-law, you are omnipresent. You can see not only what goes on in our home behind closed doors, but you see what I do when I am alone. You see into my heart.

So what is my heart towards my wife? Am I guarding it? Am I living out the two greatest commandments in my own home as well as in public?

He also asked another question during the video last night: Am I a spouse-centered spouse or a God-centered spouse? If I am a spouse-centered spouse, that means I will gauge my treatment of my wife based off of how she is treating me. Was she nice to me this morning? If yes, then I might go out of my way a little more for her. Was she cold or focused on other things besides me? If yes, then I might return the attitude in-kind.

However, if I am a God-centered spouse, then I am seeing her through your eyes and her actions are not determining factors in how I treat her, or even think about her. In fact, if she is cold towards me maybe that’s the time you need me to express more concern for her. You need me to care for her and give her even more. It’s not about what she gives me. It’s about what you need for me to give her.

Father, I’m sorry I’ve failed you in so many ways when it comes to my marriage. As a father of two grown children in relationships with significant others, I certainly have my opinions about them. I can only imagine what you think of me. So thank you for entrusting your daughter’s life to me. Thank you for such an amazing woman. I know I take her for granted all of the time. I try not to, but I know I do. So help me to have insights into her and to be exactly that man you need me to be for her sake and so that she can continue to grow into exactly the woman you have for her to be. And in the process, make me the man you need me to be.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 

Hebrews 6:1-6

So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God. You don’t need further instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And so, God willing, we will move forward to further understanding. For it is impossible to bring back to repentance those who were once enlightened—those who have experienced the good things of heaven and shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the power of the age to come— and who then turn away from God. It is impossible to bring such people back to repentance; by rejecting the Son of God, they themselves are nailing him to the cross once again and holding him up to public shame.

Dear God, this is an interesting passage when you consider the arguments of “once saved always saved” vs. “maintaining your salvation through works.” Of course, I’m not going to get into that here today because I have no idea what, exactly, it takes for any given human to get into heaven, and it feels like it would be arrogant of me to think I know that answer. However, I would like to dive a little into this idea that “it is impossible to bring back to repentance those who were once enlightened—those who have experienced the good things of heaven and shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the power of the age to come—and who then turn away from God. It is impossible to bring such people back to repentance.” That seems like a very short-sighted argument. Frankly, I would love to be able to unpack the author’s thoughts here a little more with him. Maybe I’ll get to do that one day.

I guess my thought has been that it is easier to reach someone who has already experienced the joy of letting go and surrendering to you, even if they’ve backslidden and taken their lives back from you, than it is to convince someone to submit to you and repent who has never done it before. Everyone has to have a breaking point before they decide to come to you. For some of us, that point is pretty easy to reach. They know the joy in humility, repentance, forgiveness, grace, etc. They know what it’s like, if only for a moment, to touch the Holy Spirit and begin to experience the fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, faithfulness, kindness, gentleness, and self control. It’s the person who doesn’t trust it and has never allowed themselves to let go of their own rights and agendas who will have to come to a breaking point at some level.

Father, there are people in my life who are currently worshipping you. There are people who used to worship you and have now walked away. And there are some who have never worshipped you and never plan to. First, help me to be someone who worships you. Help me to repent when necessary, extend mercy when necessary, and worship always. And then show me what you would have me do and who you would have me be for those who are walking their paths. Show me how to encourage the worshipper, kindle the embers of the one who walked away, and be part of your invitation to the one who doesn’t know you. Use me as you will. Let y our kingdom come and your will be done on earth through me.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 

Ecclesiastes 11:5-6

Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things. Plant your seed in the morning and keep busy all afternoon, for you don’t know if profit will come from one activity or another—or maybe both.
Ecclesiastes 11:5-6

Dear God, I just don’t know anything, and, yet, I tend to think I know so much. I was thinking yesterday about the woman who founded our nonprofit 30 years ago. She didn’t know what would happen after you inspired her. She just knew she was supposed to come home from that Christian conference and get some doctors and nurses to volunteer to give people a free clinic. You grew the seed from there.

I just got word yesterday that a man I know is facing the end of life with a cancer diagnosis. His family is facing it too, obviously. I wish I knew what to do. He is a good man, and he has kept busy. I pray that he will be at peace and he and his family will have the strength to endure the next few weeks. I pray that you will use this pain to touch them and reveal yourself to them in a new way. And use it in the lives of others as well. Please don’t let it be wasted. And please help him to not suffer. And for their daughter as well. She is a special needs young woman and I don’t know if that will make this harder or easier for her, but I pray that you will walk with her.

Father, show me the work you have for me to do today. Help me to keep busy under your guidance and leadership. Bless the work I do so that it might multiply for your glory.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 

Acts 1:20-22

²⁰ Peter continued, “This was written in the book of Psalms, where it says, ‘Let his home become desolate, with no one living in it.’ It also says, ‘Let someone else take his position.’

²¹ “So now we must choose a replacement for Judas from among the men who were with us the entire time we were traveling with the Lord Jesus— ²² from the time he was baptized by John until the day he was taken from us. Whoever is chosen will join us as a witness of Jesus’ resurrection.”

Acts 1:20-22

Dear God, I’ve talked about this before, but I think it’s a good reminder to be patient. I think (and every theologian in the world might disagree with me, and maybe I am, indeed, wrong) that Peter jumped the gun here. He’s on his own for the first time in three years–without Jesus and in seemingly in charge. So he is looking for something to do and I think he is using his head instead of praying about what to do next. I think that he should have been waiting patiently for what ended up being Pentecost and the Holy Spirit coming over him in chapter 2 and then addressing the crowd in verse 2:14.

How does this play into my life now? My tendency right now is to force some things that I don’t like in my life. To be impatient. But even this morning, my job is to wait. It’s to pray, seek your presence and wait. Part of seeking your presence and being in your presence is becoming aware of sin I’ve allowed into my life. Idols. Selfishness. Lethargy. Whatever it might be, as I sit with you I cannot be in your presence without being aware of how sullied I am and inadequate to be with you. So I take an inventory, I repent, and I commit to you to do better.

Father, as I wait on you and your timing, I thank you for loving me and being here with me right now. I thank you for the bridge that Jesus is between you and me. I thank you for the peace you give me. For the joy. Please forgive me for my selfishness and for the times when I turn away from you. Forgive me for when I indulge my own desires instead of following your call. Forgive me for my impatience and my lack of faith in you, your timing, and your plan. Give me this day my daily bread. Help me to extend to others the grace you’ve given to me. Use my life to bring your kingdom and your will into this world.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 

Ephesians 4:31-32

Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.
Ephesians 4:31-32

Dear God, like all sin, whether it’s anything from lying, to lust, to intoxication, to the things listed in verse 31 above, they feel so so good in the moment, but the good feeling is hollow and short-lived. Then we are faced with a choice as we sit there in emptiness: Do we keep chasing the good feeling through diving deeper into these things or do we turn, repent, take the time to rebuild the damage caused by these things and then embrace the things you have said are good for us?

The rebuild is always harder than the teardown. Trust is something that is lost over a moment, but only regained with time and experience. I had someone I trusted completely at one point. After only a few betrayals and lies, my trust for them was shattered and it’s still not completely back. Am I bitter against them? No, I’ve gotten over a lot of my bitterness (although there is still some anger and deep hurt remaining). But I am also careful about how much I expose myself to them and make myself vulnerable to them. I am still have tenderness in my heart for them. I forgive them. But I still have up some walls.

Father, show me the path forward with all of those in my life whom I do not trust. Show me how to be the kind, tenderhearted, forgiving man you have called me to be. Do all of this for the sake of my soul and peace and for your glory.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 

Matthew 18:15-17

“If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses. If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won’t accept the church’s decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector.
Matthew 18:15-17

Dear God, there are some people who have things against me, yet I have no idea what they are. I guess my prayer today is simple. Somehow, show them this verse and encourage them to follow it. And when they do, give me the grace to receive it and repent of whatever I did or continue to do wrong.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 

Luke 15:12-13a

The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons. “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land…”
Luke 15:12-13a

Dear God, I know this is a parable to describe your relationship with us, but I still want to sit with the father in this moment. Until the son showed back up, this is where the father’s knowledge stops. He doesn’t know the boy blew all of the money. He doesn’t know how he spent it. He doesn’t know he’s broke and starving. For all he knows, the boy could be out living a good life, being responsible, and he will never be seen again.

I live in a small town that just finished a year of celebrating its 175th year of settlement. 176 years ago, a group of Prussians (now Germans) left everything behind to come to start fresh in America. I’d never thought about their individual motivations before going to a worship service last Thursday, but most of them were saying goodbye to family forever, never to be seen or heard from again. Some of them were probably alone in the world with nothing to lose, but I’m sure there were some who were like the boy in the parable: “I’ve had it with you people. I’m out of here.” Then those that loved them were left. It was like a death.

I’ve experienced this kind of pain. It’s probably why I’m unwilling to inflict it upon others even though that is certainly my temptation. But I know the depths to which it cuts. I can’t do that to someone else. After all, you would never abandon me. How can I completely abandon someone else.

Father, I’m sorry I turn my back on you. I’m sorry I’ve allowed myself to turn my back on others at times. And I don’t mind telling you that my current pain is great. Be in my multiple situations and heal it all. And if this pain must be experienced, please make it count.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen