“…So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” Hebrews 9:28
One of my happy places in my early twenties was a place overlooking the Mogollon [moe-gee-yawn] Rim. The Mogollon Rim trail was about a mile from the cabin that I was living in, and the rim is a valley lined with ponderosa pine trees. I would often walk the trail and sit down on a rock. The same rock every time. My rock. I affectionately called that rock, “butt rock.” It’s as if the hand that spun the universe, fashioned the moon, stars, and sun, also reached down to this boulder in AZ and stuck a dent in the granite rock just the right size for this mountain boy’s derriere. Well, one winter evening I was unwinding after a long day, thinking, praying, and watching the sunset. In the winter-time the sun would set just over to the right of where I would sit. The evening I wrote the words to this song, there were some storm clouds swirling about, and with the sun setting behind them it looked as if the sky was melting away. I remember whispering, “come Lord Jesus,” wishing Jesus would come back, -coming on the clouds. It reminded me of a passage from C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity (1952),
God will invade. But I wonder whether people who ask God to interfere openly and directly in our world quite realise what it will be like when He does. When that happens, it is the end of the world. When the author walks on to the stage the play is over. God is going to invade, all right: but what is the good of saying you are on His side then, when you see the whole natural universe melting away like a dream and something else – something it never entered your head to conceive – comes crashing in; something so beautiful to some of us and so terrible to others that none of us will have any choice left? For this time it will God without disguise; something so overwhelming that it will strike either irresistible love or irresistible horror into every creature. It will be too late then to choose your side. There is no use saying you choose to lie down when it has become impossible to stand up. That will not be the time for choosing; it will be the time when we discover which side we really have chosen, whether we realised it before or not. Now, today, this moment, is our chance to choose the right side. God is holding back to give us that chance. It will not last for ever. We must take it or leave it. (p. 65-66).
Well, needless to say, Jesus didn’t come back that evening. But He did give me these lyrics to express in words the prayer my heart was praying.
Homesick
by Joel Bidderman
I’ve been dreamin’; or wishin’ I guess
For You to blow those clouds open, and take me home to rest
So as colors swirl up above and until dark takes their place
My soul cries out “Come, Jesus take me Home to stay”
I’ve been soul searching, or cleaning out I guess
All this stuff my heart picked up today that’s keepin’ me from rest
And I know You’re merciful and strong
So if not this world, invade this heart that longs
Chorus:
I can’t wait to see Your face
To awe in Your glory, to dance in Your grace
To join in a chorus so peaceful, I’d faint
Oh to be with You…I can’t wait
I’ve been thinkin’, or brainstormin’, I guess
Of how good You are to us, even in lack of innocence
Oh my Redeemer, my Shepherd, and my Best Friend
Invade this space they say is mine
Take me and mold me in Your time
Bridge:
And if these rocks that I’m sitting on did burst into song
They’d sing about Your goodness, Your majesty and Your love
Oh God You are my strength, my refuge and my song
So if not this world, invade this heart that longs…
© 2000 Joel A Bideerman