One song really seemed to impact people last week in Wisconsin. Our second time at Lifest, we packed 3 days with leading worship, teaching a seminar, interviewed with a radio station, and two concert sets at different stages and times. I think my Mom set up our merch table more times in one day than could count. She is amazing.
Each time we played “Dearly Loved”, a new song on our album “By Faith”, it seemed that people were hearing they are loved for the firs time. You know, we hear that God loves us, but sometimes it doesn’t sink in. It’s like watching a movie in a foreign language. But when you really get it, really, it changes everything! A sweet girl named Grace thanked me for the song after a concert, expressing how hard it is to sometimes see herself as truly loved and beautiful.
Dearly Loved
By Elissa Leander Tipps, Rebecca Leander Nicholson (Copyright 2011 Sonflower Worship/ASCAP)
Hasn’t anyone told you / Don’t you already know that your name has been written on His hands and on His heart / See the way He has given / His own life He laid down so that you could be with Him and know truly from the start that // You are loved even more than words can describe / Dearly loved from before the first dawn of time / You are loved even if the whole world tries to convince you otherwise / Forever you are cherished and dearly loved // I saw you walk away slowly / A solemn look on your face / You don’t believe you are worthy in light of your mistakes / A guilty conscience has stolen your understanding of grace / But God will never forsake you / Nothing you could do will change that // His love is enough to hold you together / Always enough to conquer your fears / His love is enough and someday you’ll know just how much
Our newest friend from Lifest, Tiffany Thompson, brought us potted sunflowers (real ones) one morning. These became the staple at our merch table. Lifest is one of those festivals where everyone feels like family, and you can be guaranteed that backstage will have cheese curds at the salad bar. I LOVE it. (Oh, and the custard in Wisconsin is incredible.)
Romans 5 talks about the Holy Spirit being the evidence of God’s love. It’s a gift from God that the Holy Spirit within us is our guide, our comforter, and our strength. I definitely experienced it first-hand on this tour. Each day was packed (no days off) and very demanding. I felt like a runner in a marathon, with each stride asking for God’s help to keep going and not give up.
Identify yourself as a recipient of God’s love and you will even be glad when situations require endurance. It becomes a strength and draws us closer to God.
-Becca
