Well, here we go again. You may recall a blog I wrote nearly five years ago entitled The Battle is the Lord’s. This is perhaps a follow-up class on “letting go and letting God”. I hope you enjoy the read.
Sometimes in the journey of a follower of Christ we come up against obstacles in our path. This is especially true when we set out to do something for the Kingdom’s advancement. Anyone who has tried anything for God knows what I’m talking about. The bigger the impact of one’s vision, perhaps the bigger the battle that accompanies it. Of course for me as a ministry leader this has always been something related to the various avenues of worship. I was reminded of the conflict at hand once again just today. The subject…a new worship album.
It will soon be five years since my last project called Your Kingdom Come was released. The battle was great; I remember it well. So far that was a walk in the park compared to what I am facing this time. Last year I finally felt the creative juices beginning to flow again. You see, these albums take so much out of me that I find myself musically bankrupt for a long time afterward. First there is the writing, the arranging, the orchestrating, then the recording phase with the piano, the vocals, the backup vocals, then contracting a full orchestra (usually in Europe for budgetary reasons), sometimes finding a congregation for live recordings, then comes the mixing and mastering in Nashville, artwork design, CD manufacturing, uploading to streaming platforms…and a couple thousand hours of thought tossed in during the 9 month (or in this case the 19 month!) process…get my point? The word overwhelming often comes to mind…like a mountain too tall to climb. But the vision is there and I believe it came from God. By the way things have gone thus far, it must be a keeper because somebody is NOT happy.
So the date was set for a trip to Nashville to record the rhythm section - late August. I knew I could whip together that part of the project before having to orchestrate the rest of the instruments which is a painfully long process. The summer was moving along nicely….until July 23rd. The next 5 days I was in the ER 3 times with the kidney infection from hell. Too many details to outline here but suffice to say the pain was a 10 and then to top it off I was given a pain medication that I was allergic to (I’ve never been allergic to anything in the past) which nearly did me in. Had I taken a second dose it could have been fatal. As it was, just taking one little pill practically blew up my face and altered my uvula so much that I could no longer sing in a normal voice. Talk about a perfect storm….this was a dilly! Those of you who follow An Hour With Jesus each week recall my absence. Thankfully the last two weeks of August each year are rest and recovery times for the program, so I didn’t have to miss too many Wednesday nights. This infection knocked me off my feet for a good 6 weeks. When it was finished, I had been so wiped out I almost had to reteach myself to play the piano and drive a car…for real. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced. So, all recording plans in Nashville were obviously cancelled and all creativity had gone down the tubes as I was just not able to rebound like I had in the past. Maybe turning 70 last year played a role. (I still feel young on most days!) Well the holidays came upon us and then a ministry trip and then a couple of January weeks with friends in Florida and then a trip to Colorado to see my kids and grands and before you know it March was here. I said to myself, “this is the month! Two weeks ago I locked myself in my studio and dug my heels in…it’s so hard to get the wheels turning but I was determined. I started with a simple “no orchestra needed” song that I wrote many years ago but have never recorded called The Sacrifice of Praise. (That title is already proving prophetic.) I finished the piano track for that one and began the first full production song, a remake of I Sing Praises. All went well for awhile until an error message popped up on my digital recording deck, “Write Timeout”. I don’t even know what that means, but it’s not good! Nothing I did allowed me to continue to record. That was an unexpected frustration. So after some research I ordered a new SD card from Amazon, and waited, and waited and then waited some more until 3 days later they said “delivery date unknown”. Double frustration. I finally went to a local store and bought the same thing for more than I should have had to pay but at least I was back in business…I think. Today I prepared to send my half baked files to the hopefully repaired recorder to see if all is well. I used my trusty 30 year old Korg keyboard, and suddenly it died…I mean just lickity split dead. No warning, just a blank screen and no sound…DEAD! This keyboard has been out of production forever. Trying to find another one - forget it. The only ones available are for local pickup only and nowhere near Texas. The perfect storm continues!
So…….as I sat in my studio chair sulking in my sadness, frustration and weariness from the stress of this task, all of a sudden it hit me, as if I had forgotten my history of recording challenges…The battle is the Lord’s. Revisiting the old testament brought two scripture references to reinforce this. The underdog David tells Goliath in 1 Samuel 17:47 ”...it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s…”. Another key example is referring to Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20:15 which says, "Do not be afraid...for the battle is not yours, but God’s”. Friends, as of today I am once again taking that thought to the bank. This album is for the express purpose of glorifying God and blessing His people. Therefore there is opposition. (How long does it take a guy to learn these things!?) I’ve been on the verge of pulling my white hair right out of my head, but this is the Lord’s doing and it will be completed when God says it will be completed and He will get all the glory for it and defeat every attempt of the enemy to stifle the gift along the way, because….THE BATTLE IS THE LORD’S!
What mountain are you facing in your life? Does it seem too steep to navigate? Are you out of strength, yet the day is half done? Sickness? Financial crisis? Family troubles? There are any number of things which the enemy of your soul would use to pull you down. We’re no match for him on our own, but we know someone who is. I think back to my first CD, Live Worship from the World Prayer Center. That battle was UNBELIEVABLE! Now I know why. Millions of copies have blessed millions of people over the past 25 years. It happened because God won the battle. I would have given up on that thing shortly after beginning. It was a flaming disaster. But God….He won because God wins…all the time in every situation, IF we let Him fight the battle.
So, fellow worshipers, there will be a new live worship album when God in His timing and in His anointing, wins the victory. I’m just along for the ride. BTW, after exhausting every attempt to find a replacement for my deceased Korg, I found a repair shop in Dallas that services old keyboards…resurrection coming soon! Don’t give up…don’t ever give up. Victory may be just around the next bend. Keep looking up to the Captain of the hosts. It’s His battle and He’ll win it for you!