Monday morning as I sat in a room filled with over seventy men recovering from drug or alcohol addiction I was shaken awake by the scripture, praise, and shouts of joy these brave men declared. Some were wide-eyed, some had heads down, and some seemed to be fixed on every word with eyes closed and mouths proclaiming words of truth and power. Their worship time was replaced that morning by a fiery preacher who is known for his extra long exhortations. The worship, which several on my team had experienced last year, was described as one of the highlights of the 2008 missions trip. I left Bethel Colony after Monday morning's chapel time with hope that I would experience their worship some time this week.
My hope was fulfilled the next evening. After our team prepared and served dinner for this same group of men, we joined them for worship. The room was small. The humidity was high. And the sound was nothing I've ever experienced before. But what my senses took in was nothing compared to that of my spirit.
It's taken me a few days, but from that experience came this poem.
It's taken me a few days, but from that experience came this poem.
Within His Reach
Where have you been, what was your path to arrive in this place?
Did you know Him before and find yourself trapped
in a world with claws of torment, demons in disguise?
Or did you land here against your will, taking Him in for the very first time?
Whatever the route, you're here now and He has you...
held captive by the Word of truth and songs of praise,
and by those who have preceded you in a similar trap
crafted by the enemy of our souls, yet sifted through the very hands of God.
Those who have been taken from darkness into light
right here in this place.
You're here now and He has you...
transforming by the power of His spirit
building the bridge day by day from destruction
to redemption; casting your sins from east to west
and soaking you with crimson drops of pardon.
He has you... and the evidence is clear,
illuminating smiles and bright songs of joy
declared aloft air so moist and dense
the Words of truth and praise to Him on high
just sit and hover and linger and tell the story from where you came
and where you are...
now.
You're here now...
and He has you.
Where have you been, what was your path to arrive in this place?
Did you know Him before and find yourself trapped
in a world with claws of torment, demons in disguise?
Or did you land here against your will, taking Him in for the very first time?
Whatever the route, you're here now and He has you...
held captive by the Word of truth and songs of praise,
and by those who have preceded you in a similar trap
crafted by the enemy of our souls, yet sifted through the very hands of God.
Those who have been taken from darkness into light
right here in this place.
You're here now and He has you...
transforming by the power of His spirit
building the bridge day by day from destruction
to redemption; casting your sins from east to west
and soaking you with crimson drops of pardon.
He has you... and the evidence is clear,
illuminating smiles and bright songs of joy
declared aloft air so moist and dense
the Words of truth and praise to Him on high
just sit and hover and linger and tell the story from where you came
and where you are...
now.
You're here now...
and He has you.
