Friday, January 28, 2011

May I Stand (first draft)

1. May I stand
for Jesus every hour
May I play my part
and share him with the world
Every land
must hear his name in glory
Every heart must bow
and tremble at his word.
I long, oh Lord
to speak of your grace
but fears rise inside I turn and hide away my face.
Oh Lord, although I am afraid,
May I stand up for your name

2. Lord you see
They hurt me with their laughter
Lord you know the wounds
their mocking words have made.
Strengthen me
To stand up and be counted,
Speak your name more boldly,
Make me unafraid.
Fearful I am
My heart is so weak
Send down your spirit, give me words that I can speak
of you. Although I am afraid,
May I stand up for your name
Bridge bit:
What is the worst thing they can do all together?
If they take my life away, then still I’ll live forever

3. It’s nothing new
This struggle I am facing
always through the ages
this has been the way.
Jesus too
knew what it was to suffer 
prayed ‘father forgive them’
as life slipped away.
Make me like him
through all of my pain
with patience, with faithfulness
speaking of the grace
I know. Although I am afraid
May I stand up for your name.
sar 2011

16 comments:

  1. Has writing stuff on Acts helped shape this one? Verse 3 is sterling!

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  2. yes. This is an attempt at an Acts kids song. I'm thinking Acts 4:29.

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  3. Actually, I think it sounds very heartfelt and yearning. Gritty almost.

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  4. Thanks anon. Are you a regular anon? Do I know you? I think you anons should identify yourselves with letters - maybe an initial - anon c, anon d etc.

    Was the first comment from an anon c? And anon d - was that you with the second one?

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  5. Yes, a regular. Anon D here. Second comment mine...

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  6. If this gets a half-decent tune, it's my new favourite song. Love it.

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  7. yay! I'm hoping for a killer tune.

    Anon D - I knew it was you!

    Just waiting for the other anon to 'fess up.

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  8. Anon C it was for first comment.

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  9. I am amazing. I know all you anons!

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  10. Curses. Bumped the mouse, lost the comment.

    As I was saying...

    I've been thinking through the POV issue in songs. I'm not starting a campaign to ban the use of 1st person singular, but I am wondering if we capture the same usage as the psalms.

    I haven't done the work yet, but their 1stPS addresses do seem to expect to be of value to the eavesdropper in a way that this one doesn't - it comes over as too vertical. It's not clear enough to me that part of the intent is to model/encourage/edify/rebuke the rest of the congregation.

    So, I love the sentiment, and can't think of a song that covers it, I don't think this one will do it for me.

    That being the case strengthens the probability that it's actually very good!

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  11. No, this one won't do. I would never ever sing this as a congregational song.

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  12. Well now you've said that, I will put the other comment I was thinking before and didn't put up, which was that I didn't know how it would go as a congregational song. But I will stand by my earlier comment that I like the topic because for me personally the whole thing about telling others about Jesus is very scary, so I identified with the words in that way.

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  13. I'm still not convinced it works as an item either, for the same reason. But then again, you did say it was for a CD, so it's neither, I guess.

    More to reflect on. CDs are explicitly to be listened to - that is their particular purpose - so that might get around my qualms. And the secondary purpose is to be sung along to, so that also would help appropriate the song personally.

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  14. I'd never sing it in church in any way. Solo or cong. Hopefully it will get a (fantastic) tune soon and then we'll see if it will live in any form.

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