There are times in life when a particular doctrine of Scripture moves from the mind to the heart, from theory to practice, from comprehension to experience. There are also other times in life when one's experience of a particular doctrine just becomes a deeper reality for them. Such was the case for me this past year concerning the doctrine of the Perseverance of the Saints.
What an amazing reality in Scripture to comprehend: that God not only keeps His children saved but He helps them to persevere in the faith so that they do not break covenant with Him, like Israel did under the old covenant. This is much different from the doctrine of "once saved, always saved." In a recent sermon I addressed this difference and won't take the time to do it here.
Having been a Christian for 38 years I can say that I've persevered in the faith. I've endured rejection from family and friends for serving my Savior. I've endured over time as well. Not only that, but I've never had an enduring moment in my Christian life where I felt like quitting on God or His church. Now I don't mean to say that I've been a perfect Christian; far from it. I've had my struggles, doubts and temptations yet through it all I can say that I not only intellectually understand the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints, but I know it experientially as well.
Nevertheless, in recent months, my experience of this doctrine skyrocketed through the roof due to a variety of circumstances this past year. While I've been able to say that I've persevered in the faith, I can wholeheartedly say that I really sensed God "keeping me saved" this past year. I have always been aware of my endurance through the years, but more importantly I have recently and more deeply sensed His preservation like never before.
This past year exposed a lot of my humanity, frailty and sinfulness like never before. There were moments of doubt, moments of frustration, moments of exhaustion, moments of apathy, moments of confusion, moments of bitterness, moments of withdrawal, moment of persistent darkness and moments that I can't even put into words. It was probably the hardest period in my life as far as perseverance is concerned. For the first time, there were moments where I was tempted to give up and throw in the towel. I don't mind sharing this because pastors are normal people too and for too long we've isolated ourselves and kept our lives private while letting the rest of the sheep share their struggles with us. It's often lonely being a pastor. Even when there's a plurality of elders it can sometimes feel lonely due to schedules, busyness and ministry duties. And sometimes this isolation can lead to weak moments where inner and outer struggles feel like they're going to overtake us. Life is rough for us just like it is for you, too.
So when I emerged at the end of this dark period in my life, with God's help and your prayers, I was utterly and spiritually shocked into a moment of gratitude to my heavenly Father. I have no other explanation for how I made it through this period of life other than to say that my God did it for me. I didn't have the skill set, personal experience or strength to do it on my own. I know that for a fact. So when I came out on the other side, my heart had no other option but to look up to God and thank Him for not letting me fall away from Him. I had to praise Him for keeping His promise to me as He had been doing for so long. I had to reflect on this doctrine of the perseverance of the saints and flip it to a God-centered understanding which focuses on His preservation of the Saints. You see, perseverance is what I do. Preservation is what God does. We persevere only because He preserves us. And this is where God used this past year's experience to really drive home this truth to me. Oh, how it warmed my heart to God, to His people and to my family. I felt like I had been pulled from a drowning abyss and set on solid ground after treading water to the point of no longer being able to. I don't know how else to describe it.
It is from this experience and the truth that I know from God's Word that I penned the following words with the help of my very own daughter. A couple months ago I was playing some chord variations on my guitar and Macy passed by and said, "Oooo, I like that." As I was playing, the phrase, "You will carry me home" just seemed to be something that I wanted to write about. I discussed the idea with Macy and we soon began to sit in our music room to knock out a melody. I shared my melodic ideas with Macy and she didn't care for them too much. I said, "Good, cause I don't like them that much anyway! You help me." Her reply was, "I'm not that good at this sort of this." I continued, "You are! Just tell me what you hear as I play." So she told me to "shut up and play" and out came the melody used for this song. I was instantly in love with the sound of it; we just needed words for the song. So I went to very familiar Scriptures regarding the perseverance of the saints and began to arrange them as best as I could for the song.
I used Philippians 1:6, Romans 8:38 and John 10:27-30 as the basis for the lyrics.
Man, was it rough at first. I brought what I had to Macy and had her try to sing it and she corrected my word flow and forced me to go back to the drawing board. She told me what she liked and didn't like. And through the composition of this song I shared with her why it was so important that we teach something like this to our church! I explained why we need to worship God for what He is doing in us.
In the end we decided to keep it simple and not have a long drawn out chorus. We didn't add a bridge just for the sake of having a longer song. We just left it like it is without the need to go over the top. Then we introduced it to the music team and filled-out the song. And then we were excited to introduce it to you so that we could collectively sing it to God.
Church, collectively we know this doctrine, too! We all went through a rough year together as a congregation. It broke many of our hearts! And yet, here we are! How are we still standing? God! He is faithful to carry us home! This song means a lot to me, not because I think it's the best song ever, but because God is the best God ever. He's carrying me and He's carrying you through this life! If you are a genuine Christian you will make it to the end because God is faithful!
Man, was it rough at first. I brought what I had to Macy and had her try to sing it and she corrected my word flow and forced me to go back to the drawing board. She told me what she liked and didn't like. And through the composition of this song I shared with her why it was so important that we teach something like this to our church! I explained why we need to worship God for what He is doing in us.
In the end we decided to keep it simple and not have a long drawn out chorus. We didn't add a bridge just for the sake of having a longer song. We just left it like it is without the need to go over the top. Then we introduced it to the music team and filled-out the song. And then we were excited to introduce it to you so that we could collectively sing it to God.
Church, collectively we know this doctrine, too! We all went through a rough year together as a congregation. It broke many of our hearts! And yet, here we are! How are we still standing? God! He is faithful to carry us home! This song means a lot to me, not because I think it's the best song ever, but because God is the best God ever. He's carrying me and He's carrying you through this life! If you are a genuine Christian you will make it to the end because God is faithful!
Faithful God, You will keep me until the end
Pressing on and completing what You began
Oh, I know that You will carry me home
Nothing Lord will remove me from Your love
No height or depth or angel from above
Oh, I know that You will carry me home
In Your hand is where I’ll be forevermore
I’m secure by Your power, oh, holy Lord
Oh, I know that You will carry me home
