Old Songs and Old Dreams, by Andy FreemanAndy Freeman - 6 Apr 2007
It’s school holidays in the UK this week, so my family and I all jumped in the car today for a little road trip to visit relatives. On the way back, we put the music in the car on shuffle and started listening to some old music. Karen (my wife) and I reminisced about old songs and the kids asked "who all these ancient bands were". After a while, some very familiar chords struck up and I heard some lyrics I hadn’t listened to for a while.
‘Did you feel the mountains tremble?
Did you hear the oceans roar?
When the people rose to sing of Jesus Christ the risen one.’
We we found ourselves singing along at the tops of our voices. Our kids all know Delirous? too, our oldest three saw them in concert last year. As we sang and enjoyed ourselves I found those old familiar lyrics hitting home again.
I first sang this song at Southampton Central Hall at one of the band's ‘Cutting Edge’ meetings. A big crowd of young people, stacks of passion, visions of God working in our nation. Even I managed to ‘dance upon injustice’, even though I had too left feet and no sense of rhythm. They were exciting days. We had some very big dreams – we prayed for ‘revival’ in our nation with such faith and hope.
Those times are 10 years and more in the past. As we sang today I wondered how I felt about the song now. Had my faith and hope given way to realism, even pessimism? Did I really believe in a God that could make mountains tremble? The song continues:
‘And we can see that God you’re moving, a time of jubilee is coming, when young and old return to Jesus, fling wide you heavenly gates, prepare the way of the risen Lord’.
At Easter, we remember a God who can do the impossible, who can bring about the miraculous, a God who was prepared to give everything in love for his people. At Easter we remember again “the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 1:18-20).
As I write now I can reflect on countless examples of where we are seeing that power at work amongst ordinary people around the world. Last week I was in Ramsdorf, in the Saxony region of Eastern Germany, seeing a 24-7 Boiler Room community there reach out to young and old in a small community, but with a vision for planting Boiler Rooms across Germany and further east into Poland and beyond. God has given them a plan and He is working it out in his way.
Last week I also spoke to our friend, Kelly Greene, as she begins to plan a monastery in the Boystown area of Reynosa, Mexico. Her last few weeks had involved impromptu anti-natal care for a pregnant woman, going to worship in church with two girls from Boystown and organising a birthday party, which turned into a prayer meeting. These things continue to be part of life in that place which many people have forgotten or discarded, but that God is passionate about.
Tomorrow my day is going to involve a train journey to Essex, to the east of London, to visit some friends who’ve been praying for a house or venue for a Boiler Room for maybe 5 years. Tomorrow, I’m going to go and see what God has given them. It should be a happy day.
Throughout the 24-7 movement there are signs of the power of God at work.
So, back to Delirious? and their song. Do I still believe it? Yes, I do. Have there been difficult times, hardships and setbacks? Yes, but I’m not going to let pessimism drown out faith.
Did I ever really understand what revival might mean? Probably not. I’m not sure whether revival is my prayer anymore. My prayers echo the dreams of transformation I had before, but maybe I just don’t know what that might look like. Instead I enjoy the glimpses, my prayers are for the ‘time of jubilee’ to break out amongst the poor, amongst the forgotten and lost. It’s in the mystery of God, in the mystery of his plans that sometimes I find most faith. Chesterton wrote ‘that man can understand everything by the help of what he does not understand.’
More than anything I’ve seen over these past 7 years of this 24-7 journey that His glory is always on display – just like the spring blossoms that are beginning to appear at this time of year. Whether it’s for one person, for a city or even when it’s in disappointment and suffering I’m still going to sing.
“Open up the doors and let the music play
Let the streets resound with singing
Songs that bring your hope
Songs that bring your joy
Dancers who dance upon injustice.”
(Written by Martin Smith, performed by Delirious?
1994 Curious? Music UK)
Photo for title image and thumbnail provided by Matt Long under a Creative Commons License.
