Rattle! New Song Study – Part 2
by Jacqui Crumrine – Associate Pastor – Worship and Arts
Last week we dove into the lyrics of the song “Rattle!” by Elevation. It’s an incredible song that reminds us to receive and live in resurrection power! “It runs in my veins too!” Jesus came and defeated death so that we could receive His power, to be a light in this world. Sometimes that mission seems dead, or we feel empty. But through the power of the Spirit, new life can be breathed into these dry bones (Ezekiel 37).
Sounds great on paper, right? Who doesn’t want that in their life?! But what does “resurrection power” and “dry bones rattling” even look like in real, day-to-day life? Give me a minute of your time and, if possible, for the sake of this post let’s narrow down the lanes of our life to three.
- Lane 1, we’ll call it “Interior”. This is the heart stuff…the part of you that only you and God look at. It’s what makes you…you. It includes your behaviors, attitudes, feelings, thoughts, etc.
- Lane 2, let’s call it “Horizontal’. This lane includes everything as you look around at your life (work, family, hobbies, friendships, home, etc.).
- Lane 3, we’ll call “Vertical”. This the lane that runs between you and God. It includes prayer, devotion, worship, etc.
Resurrection Power unleashed in Lane 1 is hard work. It’s not easy, because it wants to dig deep. The only way to breathe new life into something is to have it die first. If God is doing the interior work and wants to make us new, that means things have to die so that He can resurrect them. Interior work starts with acknowledging sin, and we know that sin can be on the surface, and it can be intertwined with attitudes and behaviors that have been with us our whole life. It can be as simple as deciding not to lie, cheat or steal. Or it can be as deep as our selfishness, pride, and misplaced identity. God created you and knows you. We are all broken by sin, and through Jesus and the power of the resurrection, He wants to transform our lives. We know what that looks like by the example in God’s word. Jesus told us to “deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him” (Matthew 16:24). Transformative work starts in the interior with “deny yourself”. The things that we want often don’t line up with what God wants. But when we let the Spirit in to do the deep work of identifying sin in our lives, our “bones begin to rattle”. New life begins, and our lives align with God’s will.
It can seem a bit harder to see Resurrection Power unveiled in Lane 2, because there’s a chance that this is the most secular part of your life. It has its own rhythm and influences opposite the rhythm of God. You will find yourself in the position of influencer when you take that Power into the world. Power in these places is love, mercy and justice lived out. It is joy, and peace overflowing in a difficult workplace. It is care and comfort to the broken-hearted. It is patience and kindness to those that are struggling on the long weary road. In the Horizontal Lane, you become (the agent of that power. After all, “It runs in my veins too”. You have to choose to unleash that Power. You have to choose to live it out and people will see it. They will see an active faith. This might include volunteer work that serves those in need, or proactively fighting injustice. This will be seen in your attitudes towards others (joy, hope, and peace instead of a short temper). You will be slow to anger and be loving. Instead of impatience, you see an opportunity to reflect. In the middle of a pandemic, you will have hope. In this lane, with God’s power, you have good boundaries. Time and energy are prioritized on the right things, in the right order; God first, spouse/family, service/ministry, etc. Self-care and health become vital parts of a resurrected life, not living on the edge or without margin. Because even God, who is the source of Resurrection Power, rested. Lane 2 (Horizontal) is Resurrection Power unleashed in every area of your life!
Resurrection Power in the Horizontal lane is also the “take up your cross” part of Jesus’ invitation. It’s the part of our lives that will receive persecution as we live out the mission. It is in that Power that we endure for the sake of the Gospel. This Power gives us confidence and boldness to minister in a hostile world. There will be suffering. Expect it. Take it head on with the Power of the Spirit that lives in us.
When Resurrection Power is unleashed in the Vertical Lane, it can’t be contained! Lane 3 is all about your relationship with God. It means that our prayer lives consume not just a ten-minute time block in our day but become a constant conversation. Our devotion to God is seen in every action and reaction. We can’t get enough of Him! We experience Him throughout the day as we pray (a constant conversation), worship (in all that we do), and proclaim the Good News (wherever we go)! On a practical level, when we gather corporately, our worship is not limited to singing. Our worship becomes a physical experience with our heart, mind, hands, feet completely UNHINDERED. It’s like you want to crawl out of your skin to just be free! Have you ever felt that? The Power in the Vertical Lane is directed to God alone and received from God alone. When Jesus says “Follow me”…this is where we start. At the Source. The Source of all power and life. There is no other way to live our lives without receiving Resurrection Power in the Vertical Lane. And as we receive it, our only response is to praise the One who died to give it to us.
Resurrection Power is our source, our fuel, for living the transformed life.
When that Power is unleashed in all three lanes of your life, you’ll hear “dry bones rattling”. Can you hear it?
