Following

It's after midnight, and I can't sleep. This is happening more and more these days. I am not sure why. So, I've started to put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard) during these times. I usually try music first, but that never works anymore. I think that is because I listen, almost exclusively, to Christian rock. The lyrics are so much more compelling than the music I used to listen to; consequently, I stay up thinking about them. Love him though I do, Jimmy Buffett and Cheeseburger in Paradise will not keep me up contemplating God.

Tonight I was listening to a Canadian Christian band, Downhere. They haven't made it really big yet (I checked their concert schedule, and they are playing next month at a rural Pennsylvania high school gym-for free). Nevertheless, they marry great voices with compelling lyrics. One of their songs is entitled "I Will Follow Your Voice." The lyrics caused me to reflect again on Nativity's preaching and small group series entitled Tug of War. We just completed this series, which covered, among other things, the constant negative, even evil, messages that barrage us, and how we have to fight through the noise to hear and follow Christ. This song really gives us great examples of the junk that courses through our brains, creating white (or black) noise keeping us from the truth:

I can hear the questions

The answers that breed doubt

The spiritual poison of hecklers and demons

Who whisper in corners, hoping for a sell-out

I can feel the pressure

To filter everything I say

To sit down in silence

Put up with injustice and turn the other way . . . .

I hear about a war

I lose with tragic force

I hear I'm going down

I'm headed for the ground

I hear I should panic

I should be afraid

I hear through all the noise

A still and steady voice say "Wait."

With every channel on

We don't know where we belong

Help me to hear Your voice

Above all the other noise

The refrain of this song is, of course, I will follow Your voice. It's more like a conviction than an always-truthful statement, I think. At least for me. That's what I want: to be constantly following Christ's voice.

In Scripture, those who follow are called sheep. But when we use the word "sheep" to refer to people, we usually don't mean it as a compliment. Our culture labels followers as weak, dumb or indecisive. But interestingly, when Christ used that term, he did not mean that people were weak, dumb, or indecisive. Because, in fact, actual sheep discriminate. They follow, but only the right leader. They won't follow just anyone, but only the leader they are supposed to follow. Sheep are actually savvy.

So our comparison to sheep in Scripture is not derogatory. Christ is the Good Shepard. He doesn't herd dumb animals but savvy humans. Besides, Christ is a little too important to be given the task of herding the simple minded who lack any choice or individual will. He is grossly overqualified for that useless task.

So my goal? To be a sheep. The alternative is not appealing--who wants to be the wolf?