Nike says “Just do it”. That might be what the fella weightlifting is thinking as he gets his workout, and your doctor also probably thinks “doing it” is generally the most sound method for staying in shape or building brawn, right? I just rode a bike for 40 minutes with this in mind, so I hope that sweat wasn’t a waste! But what if someone told you something that was so illogical, a completely counter-cultural idea -- especially for us Americans, who are always in a hurry to accomplish things -- that one could become muscular just by waiting, perhaps by merely sitting still? ‘Are you nuts?!’ That’d be my reaction. South African native Brenton Brown might just be that nut, if you look at his song “Everlasting God”. Brown’s words declare ‘strength will rise as we wait…’. Huh?
In 2005, Brown (along with Ken Riley) wrote “Everlasting God”, and that name also became the label for the album that was a hit. When one looks at the words and phrasing in the music, one cannot but suspect that something was rocking Brown’s world, perhaps making him re-think conventional ideas about life and activities into which we typically throw ourselves. He hammers the same point repeatedly…our God is strong, and I am weak. The emphasis on the words ‘strong’, ‘strength’, ‘weak’, and ‘weary’ throughout the song, and the composer’s life story suggest “Everlasting God” is his personal testimony. In 2003, Brown was diagnosed with something called CFS - Chronic Fatigue Syndrome – a frustrating condition afflicting 4 people in 1,000 in the U.S, including also his wife Jude. It cannot be commonly cured, only managed. In fact, perhaps only 5 –10 % of CFS sufferers find a complete resolution, and even rest does not adequately address the illness. It’s no surprise, then, why Brown’s composition maintains this pulse, this heartbeat about strength. Over and over the words flow from Brown’s pen about where and from whom he finds strength, and it’s not a one-time request he makes of God – indeed with CFS, he and his wife live this petition every day.
With no cure for CFS, Brown is forced to wait, perhaps for something that may never come. He may identify with the Psalmist, who also waited for the Lord to answer his cries (Psalms 5, 27, 33, 37, 38, 40, 130), sometimes feeling abandoned and bitter. Brown might also be dubbed a contemporary Paul, with a thorn still in his flesh, a sore the apostle learned to accept. The experiences of Brown, the apostle Paul, and the Psalmist, if they have not already come, await each of us. And so, I must learn what Brown and others have already discovered. How do I wait upon the Lord…with peace and contentment, or with angst? Whatever my emotional-mental state, the words of Brenton Brown and the Psalm writers linger. When I find my troubles gnawing at me, songs are like salve over a wound, reminding me that God is present and potent. He cares, and I am not alone.
The above information on Brenton Brown’s life is at:
The site http://www.christianitytoday.com/music/reviews/2006/everlastinggod.html was also used for some of the information on the song.
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