I’m always looking towards the next big thing.
Some people classify it as a characteristic of my optimistic and visionary personality. Others say it’s because my motivation is grounded in what could be and not necessarily what is. Either way, I spend most of my days in an unbreakable stare down with the future.
There are both benefits and consequences of such a mentality. Positively, I never run the risk of getting stuck in the mud. I’m not scared to dream big or pray for massive movements of God. Negatively, I often end up taking for granted what God has already done in my life.
I’m ashamed to admit it, but I have to constantly and aggressively fight against the “What have you done for me lately?” mentality when it comes to my relationship with Christ. I so quickly forget what God has already done and, as a result, I grow anxious and weary when things are moving too slowly.
Can you relate?
Do you spend more time thanking God or petitioning Him when you pray? Are God’s past interactions in your life producing unwavering confidence in Him or is His present inaction stirring up doubt and insecurity? I know how I answer these questions, and that’s precisely the reason I love singing ‘Great Things’ by Phil Wickham.
This song is about the history-defining, culture-creating, greatest thing to ever happen in human history. It’s about Jesus rescuing us so we might have relationship with Him.
In the chorus and bridge, we sing,
Oh, hero of Heaven, You conquered the grave
You free every captive and break every chain
Oh God, You have done great things
We dance in Your freedom, awake and alive
Oh Jesus, our Savior, Your name lifted high
Oh God, You have done great things
Hallelujah God, above it all
Hallelujah God, unshakable
Hallelujah, You have done great things
Hallelujah God, above it all
Hallelujah God, unshakable
Hallelujah, You have done great things
You've done great things
Here are a few lessons from ‘Great Things’ to a guy who struggles with remembering what God has done.
1) Dwell on the Gospel
We never outgrow our need for the Gospel. It’s not the starter pack to get you into the Christian faith—it is the Christian faith! Sometimes I can look so far forward that I begin to neglect the fact that God has already breathed life into my cold, dead heart. As a result, I rob myself of joy, happiness, and gladness.
2) Dance to the melodies of grace
I love the line “we dance in your freedom…” because it reminds me that Gospel realities ought to spur on a life of thankfulness. I’m not talking about wearing a fake smile or pretending like everything is great when it isn’t. It’s healthy to recognize that some melodies are written in minor keys. But it’s important that we allow grace to shape our circumstances and be satisfied knowing that Christ is enough.
3) Dream forward by thinking backward
In the second verse, we sing “You’ve been faithful through every storm, You’ll be faithful forevermore. You have done great things.” God’s past faithfulness guarantees God’s future faithfulness. We can gaze into the future with anticipation because we are children of the King. We can dream knowing that we’ve been set apart for good works and God is constantly working in us. We can be confident in the future because of the work Christ did in the past.
As we continue to learn and sing ‘Great Things’ I want my heart and yours to dwell on, dance to, and dream about what God has done for us in Christ, and live with a healthy anticipation of what God will do in the future.
Check out Sarah and Chase performing this song at GENESIS for the Music Initiative!
