I just finished my prayer time, and, well, it wasn’t quite what I was expecting. Actually it sort of started before my prayer time even began. A day or two ago when I started having some…. I want to call them doubts about whether or not I should be praying. To make a long, overcomplicated thought process short, I was worrying if my being spiritually distant from God would affect my prayer time. Somehow, by a not so random chance, I stumbled upon a band I had never heard of before: Building 429. (How I had never heard of them, don’t ask me, but they’re amazing and you guys should all check ‘em out) I found a song of theirs called Grace that is Greater, and I guess you could say that song sort of started my prayer journey this week.

Search me O God
And know my every thought
Discern my every way
And speak into my soul
Point out to me my wrongs
Convict me until
I follow down the path
That leads me to your will

Because my heart
Sometimes can wander
And my faith
at times can stray
But I know
That when I fix my eyes on You
That I will always remain
Safe in the shadows of Your

Grace, grace
God’s grace
Grace that will pardon
And cleanse within
Grace, grace
God’s grace
Grace that is greater
Than all my sin

I praise You because
I am fearfully made
You formed my frame
In a secret place
All of my days
Ordained before I breathed
Written in Your book
Before I came to be
Because Your love
I stand and wonder
You know I come to Thee
And knowing that
When I fix my eyes on You
That I will always remain
Safe in the shadow of Your

Grace, grace
God’s grace
Grace that will pardon
And cleanse within
Grace, grace
God’s grace
Grace that is greater
Than all my sin

God’s grace
Grace that will pardon
And cleanse within
Grace, grace
God’s grace
Grace that is greater
Than all my sin

Grace that will pardon
And cleanse within
Grace, grace
God’s grace
Grace that is greater
Than all my sin

Grace that is greater
Than all my sin

Is greater than all my sin
Is greater than all my sin
Is greater than all my sin

After I listened to this (me being the music freak I am…) I got all super pumped up and was like “oh, I know, I’ll play guitar for my prayer time!”, so during the time between my discovery and my prayer slot I was getting more music, writing lead sheets for them, and planning to play them this morning. Well, this morning I woke up, and went to the lounge with my guitar, my ipod and my lead sheets, and for the first 20 minutes I tried to play a bit of worship. For whatever reason I just wasn’t feeling it, so I decided to stop and listen to a bit of music. So there I was sitting on the edge by the window, listening to my ipod and the song Above it All came on my ipod. (p.s. I have a strong belief that God likes to use the shuffle on my ipod…) The song goes like this:

Oh I’m waiting for the answer to the question in my soul
Lord why did You lead me here?
Because I, I take a look around and a desperate world surrounds me
And I know I’m not of this place, but it’s here and in my face

And all that I am wants to run
Well God I feel helpless and undone

Lift me up above it all
I’m feeling broken and alone
Don’t let me turn to stone
Lift my heart above it all
Because I’ve lost my hope tonight
And I’m praying for the strength to carry on
Lord will You lift me up above it all
Above it all

Now I’m waiting for a glimpse of hope in an eye
But a flash of sunlight shows a faded gray
Beause these streets are hard and cold
And the alleys burn like coal with a stench of helplessness
And all the life that’s been misspent

And all that I am wants to run
God I feel helpless and undone

Lift me up above it all
I’m feeling broken and alone
Don’t let me turn to stone
Lift my heart above it all
Because I’ve lost my hope tonight
And I’m praying for the strength to carry on
Lord will You lift me up above it all
Well above it all

*Bridge*
Maybe I’m not supposed to fly
Cause Maybe You want me here tonight

To lift them up above it all
When they’re broken and alone
Don’t let me turn to stone
Lift them up above it all
Because they cannot stand alone
And they’re praying for the strength to carry on

Lift us up above it all
When we’re broken and alone
Don’t let us turn to stone
Lift us up above it all
Because we cannot stand alone
And we’re praying for the strength to carry on
Lord will You lift us up above it all

Pretty much, I was sitting in/on the window listening to this song, watching the people start to walk to class, thinking about IV’s battle on campus for the kingdom of God, the prayer week, finals coming, and all the tough, tiring times and what-not that everyone goes through. This song pretty much led me to praying about a lot of things. Anyways, I’m sort of running out of time because I have to get to class, but I just thought I’d give an update on my God inspired musically led prayer time. God bless!