There’s a quiet lie that's whispered about following Jesus. It’s not overtly outrageous or colorfully outlandish. In fact, it’s usually camouflaged by spiritual platitudes. It doesn’t sound wrong on the surface and that’s what makes it lethal. It’s a small twist on the truth. It’s a minor pivot off the scriptures. It tells us what we want to hear and then tags it with the name “Jesus.” Believe this lie and undoubtedly, you’ll miss God’s calling on your life. Identify and reject this lie, and undoubtedly, it will cost your life.
Here’s the lie: Jesus is safe.
There is nothing safe about Jesus. Jesus doesn’t invite people to follow him so that they might comfortably settle down and have their spiritual itch scratched on Sundays. Jesus calls us to risk. He calls us to faith-filled, sold-out obedience. He demands the totality of our lives. It’s an “all in or all out” game.
GENESIS Creative is excited to teach you a new original song titled 'This River is Wild.' It’s a song about Jesus that acknowledges the dangerousness that is inherent to following Him because He himself is dangerous. Jesus goes “outside the camp” (Heb 13:12-13) to reach the unreachable. He didn’t live a boring, safe or predictable life. On the contrary, he lived with the goal of displaying God’s glory in all things (John 12:27-28). It led Him to pain, persecution, and death.
In this folk-hymn, every verse ends with the refrain, “I don’t need safety when…” as a declaration that Jesus is better than safety. It doesn’t matter where or how Jesus calls us to serve Him - radically following Him from behind a desk, pouring it out at the local church or dedicating our lives on the mission field in the face of constant threat - the thing that matters is that we have Jesus at the center of our lives.
Below are the lyrics to 'This River is Wild.' Use them as a tool of reflection. Ask yourself if you bought into the lie. Perhaps let them function as prayer-prompts. Let them marinade in your head and heart so that when we gather, we can sing together that even though Jesus is wild, he is worth our lives!
Verse 1
This River is wild and dangerous when
The currents of mercy are pulling me in
The streams of forgiveness flow with your blood
I don’t need safety when I drown in your love
Verse 2
The valley of shadows is wrought with despair
Dry bones and stone hearts are wandering there
But the River runs wild with life from the east
I don’t need safety when I’m swept up in peace
Verse 3
The death of the desert, the scorch of its heat
The hope of enduring is burnt in defeat
Yet still runs a River that quenches the thirst
I don’t need safety if in you I’m submersed
Verse 4
The gales of your glory blow strong with your joy
The breeze of salvation is warmed with your voice
The wild flowing River propelled by this wind
I don’t need safety when you welcome me in
Verse 5
The mountain of Zion, Christ glorified
The songs of the saints are filling the sky
The River runs wild right to the Throne
I don’t need safety when I’m finally home
Chorus
This river is wild with love
Your love’s overwhelming me
This river is wild with hope
There’s no place I’d rather be
