Jesus Walks with Me
I've been wrestling with the unexplainable lately. Throughout this week, the tsunami. Yesterday, Adam Jeremiah. For nearly two years, ministry difficulties, personal struggles, even health challenges. In countless bizarre, almost surreal ways, it feels (deep down, where life hurts) like a flame upon my flesh has been turned seven time hotter. Against that backdrop, I rediscovered a song that's been generating buzz all year, both in Christian circles and on secular playlists, when the Grammy nominations were announced earlier this month: Jesus Walks by Kanye West. Nominated for ten Grammys, Jesus Walks is a prayer from a fallen, broken man desperate to find God's way for his life. The chorus:
God show me the way because the Devil trying to break me down / (Jesus Walks with me) / The only thing that I pray is that me feet don't fail me now / (Jesus Walks)The song is remarkable for its simplicity and effectiveness. While it's use of expletives (sh** is said twice, along with one "hell yeah") shocks and offends many Christians, the song's intended audience could care less. For them, Kanye delivers a powerful message that Christ came to heal the sick, comfort those who mourn, free the prisoner, bring sight to the blind, and walk with us along life's journey. In revisiting the message of Kanye's prayer, I was reminded that it was only in a furnace turned seven times hotter that three Hebrew boys literally "walked" with the Fourth Man. Download the rest of the lyrics here. Watch the music video here.
posted by Jeremy Del Rio @ 12/31/2004 02:40:00 AM
2 Comments:
Yo Jeremy!
I only caught the tail end of Kanya west at the Grammy's. If he's searching for jesus it all makes sense. However, my impression was that he calims to be a Christian. If so, would Jesus use profanity to reach the lost? Would he say after he recieved an awrad "I'm going to party all night and celebrate." For a Christian kid... this could be confusing. 1 John 2:6 - "Those who claim to be in Him must walk as Jesus did. Titus 1:16... "They claim they know god, but they deny him by the way they live." If... I say if... he's a Christian... then he's sending a confusing, mixed message. I have no problem becoming all things to all men so some might be saved... but we must not send confusing messages. people knew who jesus was and they were attracted to Him because of His love for them... and he never watered down his message. with all that said... I need to get the logs out of my own eye before I try to pick at the speck in another... Nick
I'm feeling you Nick. It's a tough call. The cursewords are confusing, but I think that's partly the point. Kanye's a confused kid ... grew up a PK, rebelled, nearly lost his life in a car accident, now he's trying to make sense of everything ... and he's confused. Hence the lyric: "God show me the way because the devil trying to break me down." Out of that confusion, he curses (like a lot of Christians I know). In the meantime, he's provoked more kids to at least think about the ever present comfort of Christ than any evangelical I'm aware of did in 2004. Reminds me of when the disciples were upset about unqualified people (nondisciples) preaching about Jesus, and Jesus told them not to worry about it because they were helping to spread the message. (Btw, I totally agree with you about Kanye's speech at the grammys. Check out my "Observations on the Grammys" from mid February.)
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