Musical Musings: God

Sunday, June 19, 2011

I Am Not Beautiful

[Reposted from Facebook]

(After listening to MercyMe's popular new song "Beautiful," which is not talking about the beauty of God but rather the beauty of man...)

I'm a little leery of all these messages we get bombarded with about how we're "beautiful," "perfect just the way we are," etc. If we're talking about external beauty, then fine, whatever, outward appearances don't really matter anyway. But if we're talking about internal beauty, then we have a problem. By ourselves, we are not beautiful. Our sin is UGLY and AWFUL before God. Only through His forgiveness and grace are we made beautiful before Him. Praise God that He loves ugly, sinful wretches like us! May we not focus on our beauty, but on His! :)

"I Am Not Beautiful"

Sometimes my sinful inclinations

Get the best of me.

Sometimes insincere intentions

Rob from Your glory.

Sometimes my deceitful heart

Tries to justify depravity.

Sometimes my worthless old man

Comes back to haunt me.

(CHORUS)

And during those times

I am not beautiful;

I don't care what they say.

While it's true that God created me,

He didn't make me this way.

I don't need to love myself;

I just need to forsake,

Because I know You made me

To worship You always.

Sometimes the devil whispers

Lies into my heart,

And I don't try to fight him;

His sin I want to take part.

Sometimes rebellion consumes my mind,

Distorting all I see.

I don't think of Your holiness,

Just think of pleasing me.

Repeat CHORUS.

I am not beautiful

When I act this way;

I am not beautiful

When I choose to stray;

I am not beautiful,

But You love me anyway.

Forgive me, Lord, I pray.

Praise the One Who Gave/Gives Us Life ("Breathe")

I've always liked the song "Breathe"; it's simple and highly worshipful. I really love the clear metaphors--air and bread.

First, the author says that God's presence inside of us is like the air we breathe. Just like air, His living in us gives us life and keeps us living! The author goes on to compare God's Word to our daily bread; again, she's saying that His Word is what keeps us alive and living. Without His presence inside us and without His Word to guide us, we would die, both physically and spiritually.

The author wraps up with two little lines declaring our great need and desperation for God. Even though He has saved us, we still need Him each and every day to sustain our physical and spiritual life. Without Him, we would be lost. So in just a few short lines ("This is the air I breathe: / Your holy presence living in me. / This is my daily bread: / Your very Word spoken to me. / And I'm desperate for You! / And I'm lost without You!") this song conveys a powerful and simple message of our continual and dire need for God in our lives always.

He is our air; He is our bread. He is our sustenance and our fulfillment. Praise Him!

"Breathe"

This is the air I breathe;

This is the air I breathe:

Your holy presence living in me.

This is my daily bread;

This is my daily bread:

Your very word spoken to me.

And I, I'm desperate for You!

And I, I'm lost without You!

CCLI Song No. 1874117

Marie Barnett

CCLI License No. 108004