I’m blinded by your grace
Every night, every day
And I was lost, yeah
But ever since you found me
I’m blinded by your grace
Through the darkness you came
And I’ll be alright
With you by my side.
The above words were sung by Stormzy as he headlined Glastonbury on Friday night.
You can watch it here:
At the time of writing it was number two on the UK YouTube trending page.
This song, as caused many to reflect no doubt. To the mix I would like to add my own passing reflections as a Christian and a Minister with the Church of Scotland.
I’ve been a Christian for nearly 20 years now. It’s been an exciting journey of highs and lows.
When I became a Christian there was a band that resonated a lot with me, and I really enjoyed their upbeat take on worship songs and also how the motivated people my age. The band went by the name Delirious? the question mark was part of the title. It now causes the ‘auto correct’ consternation my word processor!
Back then they were having significant, by Christian band standards, in roads in the UK charts. I looked it up this afternoon – and seeing how history records their 11 chart appearances it is quite incredible to think about the impact of this.
There was a concerted effort among Christians in the UK have a presence in the UK charts and this was something they managed to do. Looking back this was quite a feat and it is nice to see that these musicians – who were declaring God’s glory – are recorded in the history of UK charts along with other bands that I listened to at the turn of the millennium.
Perhaps Christians in 2019 may have started to think about what it would be like to see similar songs make it back into the charts. That’s not what we see though. What we are seeing is much more captivating. We are seeing God at work in the lives of those who are used being at the top of the UK charts. We are seeing these people lead choruses of backing singers and fans to sing out the above words. We are seeing God’s grace headline.
I thank Sormzy for his boldness in sharing his own story and the way it has caused me to reflect.
How does it cause you to reflect? What does it mean to you to be lost and then found?
A Prayer.
God of surprises might we be captivated by what you are doing among us.
Might we find joy in seeing you at work in our nation and might we have confidence to give you glory wherever we find ourselves.
We thank you for your grace; darkness overcoming grace; seeking grace; by our side grace.
In your son’s name.
Amen
** Just a note to say that I normally get my work proof read as I have dyslexia. I haven’t done so this time as I wanted to get this out quickly. If you spot mistakes let me know and if you have your own thoughts and reflections I’ve love to hear them! Whether grace or grammar – I’d love to hear from you!
Stuart Irvin. June 2019