Building 429 - We Won't Be Shakenಮಾದರಿ

Press On

Have you ever prayed a prayer that God answered with a resounding yes? Have you ever said, “God if this happens, then I’ll do that”? Yeah me too…haha! It’s a bit stupid, but come on lets be real we’ve all done that at some point. The last time that it happened to me was when we made the record “Listen to the Sound.” I had just become a worship pastor and was really ready to kind of turn the “touring gig” down a notch or two. 10 years of traveling had worn me out and I was really skeptical about whether God wanted me on the road anymore. So I prayed a couple of simple prayers.

“God I’m all ears to you and your plan, but I need to have some sort of confirmation as to what your doing in my life. I’ve got this record deal thing, and I’ve got this church thing… I’m just not sure how to make them both work. So if you could tell me which road to take I’d love it.” NOTHING. After a while I decided I’d just make it easy on HIM and name requests that were so ridiculous that only God could make them happen… that would be easy… if they didn’t happen I’d consider touring and record deals a thing of the past:

1. God, we must be a band that has a major impact every night on the road so I won’t feel that I’ve wasted time that could’ve been with my children.

2. God, one of our songs HAS TO HAVE AN UNDENIABLE IMPACT around the globe.

I figured that I had just sealed Building429’s fate, because there was NO WAY either of those two things were going to happen.

Then came WINTERJAM 2012! What in the world were they asking us to go on it for… we had been completely off the radar for the last 6 years…. That doesn’t make sense, but whatever.

Then came 15-20K people singing our songs at the top of their lungs

Then came “Where I belong” as the longest #1 song in the history of Billboard charts.

Then came the epiphany…. I was scared to death because this was not the answer I was sure that I wanted. What about the kids? What about my wife? What about my church?

Have you ever been there??? I mean on the wrong side of a prayer request that you had hoped would go the other way?

What about Paul?

He was focused on doing the thing he was called to do, not just the “RIGHT” thing. No…what he was called to do, no matter the cost. The “Right” thing probably wouldn’t have involved prison…I mean lets face it, if he’d have been a bit more selective with the words he chose and when he chose them, he wouldn’t have ever been in prison in the first place. But then who is to say we’d have the same amazing truth in the scriptures without prison?

This one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind I press on toward the goal for which I’ve been called heavenward in Christ Jesus. Phil. 3:13

What is God calling you to forget that lies behind? What failure? What success?

God calls us to NOW…not THEN…NOW…not TOMORROW. He calls us to move, to trust, to believe that His grace is sufficient.

I love the line: It doesn’t Matter where I’m going if I’m going with You… I’ll Press On . In fact I wrote it right after God answered a prayer in a way I didn’t want him to. My own personal prison, my fears closing in…and then His GRACE drenching the flames of my fears like an ocean to a candle. So…PRESS ON!