Michael Boggs, More Like A Lion - The Overflow DevoSample

We Will Sing Jesus

My pastor came to me a few years ago with a serious and somber look on his face. He had recently been diagnosed with cancer. He said when he was given the news about the ‘c-word’, one of his first thoughts was he wanted a song to sing. He said he had trouble finding the right song to sing during that specific trial. He then challenged me to one of my favorite but most difficult tasks. He asked me to write a song for him and our church to sing during difficult times. I accepted his request and told him I’d do my best.

A few weeks later, I was attending a chapel service at my church. Somewhere in the service I realized that all the songs we were singing were specifically about the person of Jesus, His death and resurrection, the peace He brings in the midst of storms and the great love He has for all of us. I opened my Bible to Philippians and began to read that Jesus was given the name above all names and God exalted Him to the highest place. Wow! The highest honor in the universe was reserved for Jesus Christ, our savior.

That’s when I realized that maybe the most important thing we can sing at the bottom of the most insurmountable mountain is the name of Jesus. The name of Jesus is the one thing that has power over all of life. He is Lord over the good and bad, the celebrations and disappointments, the victories and defeats.

I’m not sure I wrote a song that successfully combats the awful news of cancer, but I will tell you what I’ve discovered. Songs might remind us that Jesus is always with us and is Lord over all, but make no mistake, Jesus is our song. We can sing His name until the situation changes or until He changes us.