“Your goodness is running after…it’s running after me
With my life laid down, I surrender now.
I give You everything.
Your goodness is running after…it’s running after me”
I love this song…it’s one that kind of sneaks up on you. It starts out so unassuming; but, before you know it, your hands are raised and you are in full-blown worship.
MUSICALLY, COMPLICATEDLY SIMPLE
As a musician it is particularly deceiving. When I first heard it, I felt all this energy and movement. Naturally, I tried to put that energy into it when I played it–only to find it sounded forced and flat. So, I went back and listened again only to find that it was musically simple…like really simple…like all I needed to do was play a chord every once in a while–simple.
I still can’t really explain where the energy comes from…at least not from a human or musical perspective. I kind of feel like this song slows down our busy minds just enough and lets God’s goodness catch up to our thoughts. By the end of the song you feel God’s goodness all around you, and you can see that goodness in every part of your past: every failure, every success, every decision, every trial. When you sing this song, you see that all along His gentle hand has been leading you to this moment…worshiping in His presence.
THEOLOGY IS IMPORTANT: KNOW WHAT YOU ARE SINGING
Theologically, it is improper to say that God is following or reacting to us (Job 35:6-8)…but that is not what this song is saying. I mean God is God. He doesn’t change. He isn’t bound by time. He isn’t dependent on us at all. Our actions do not affect his sovereignty in the slightest. But in this song, we are talking about His goodness and mercy. And (in the scripture that this comes from) we are talking from the perspective of the sheep talking about the Good Shepherd.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever. – Psalm 23:6
THIS IS WHAT IT MEANS TO ME:
This passage shows me where to look to see God’s goodness. See…I cannot see the future. And, in the present, all I can see is my current situation where the story is unfinished. All I can see is the trial or the valley I am walking through. But in the past, I can see how God has used EVERY circumstance for His glory. He walked me through every single one of them. Like a shepherd calmly leading a scared, shaking (sometimes blindly ignorant) sheep.
So, if your present is messy, and your future is blank…look behind you. God’s goodness is all over your past. Now that you see it, you don’t have to worry about tomorrow…or today for that matter. He’s the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). He took care of you then…He will take care of you now. So give it all to Him. He makes all things work for good (Romans 8:28).
With my life laid down, I surrender now.
I give You everything.
Your goodness is running after…it’s running after me”
So, before you go into worship this Sunday, take a moment to look back. Just grab one moment from you past where you have seen God’s goodness in your life. Thank God for that moment, keep meditating on it and thanking Him for it until that goodness overshadows any questions, doubts and concerns of today. God’s goodness and mercy are following, pursuing and chasing us. It is up to us to slow down enough to let them catch, captivate and capture us!
