Last week the choir was practicing a song for Sunday. The song inspired me to write. The lyrics say, “Many are they that rise up against me which say of my soul, there is no help for him in God.” I have always interpreted that scripture as one for when you are under attack from the outside. However, the other night the Lord put it on my heart that the enemy is stronger in my mind than any outside trials, because I listen to the voice that says, “There is no help for you.” The song goes on to say that the Lord is my shield, my glory, and the lifter of my head. If I can agree with that, I mean really see myself as he sees me, then my head will be lifted. My sin holds me back. It causes me to want to flee his presence, but if I can stand and allow him to lift my head he becomes my protector, my shield and my glory. That is the essence of why I wrote this piece in a flurry of inspiration.

The Lifter of Your Head
Imagine you are in a garden. The Lord beckons you to come to him. As you walk across the path towards him, you feel heaviness. The weight of your sin causes your steps to slow. The remembrance of your past is suddenly clear in your mind. You cannot stand before him. You must not. He is holy. Pure. Without sin. The enemy of your soul is reminding you of that truth with each footfall. The filth and shame are overwhelming. Yet your leaden feet continue, compelled to close the distance between the two of you. You look to the ground trying to avoid his eyes as long as possible. You become acutely aware of how dirty you are the closer you get to him. The weight is crushing you now…you must be close. You do not know, because you cannot force yourself to look up for your disgrace. Humiliation causes you to want to disappear from his presence. If only you could be invisible, but it is too late for that. You are too close. The urge to flee rises to the surface, but you cannot. The desire to avoid him swells with each heartbeat. You are close enough to touch him but you do not dare. Fear, disgrace and self-loathing hold you captive. Head hung, you see his feet and stand still as a stone, tears spilling down your cheeks.
His nail-scarred hand reaches towards you. You want to coil away. You want to scream, “I am unclean. Do not touch me Lord.” But your mouth will not move. You can barely breathe. His fingertips rest under your chin. He lifts your head. He gazes into your eyes…in that moment; you are clean. Whiter than snow. From his eyes, you see no condemnation. You see compassion. You see forgiveness and mercy. You feel the electricity of his love coursing through you. Grace takes hold of you and joy fills your heart until it will burst. He throws back his head and laughs. All creation comes alive at his laugh. His glory shines forth. The air is thick with fragrance. He rejoices over you and fills you with unspeakable peace. Joy bubbles up as you join in his laughter. The smile on your face stretches from ear to ear. You fall into his arms because you cannot help yourself. His embrace erases your shame and protects you as a shield. You are covered by the weight of his glory. The overflow causes you to seek his eyes once again. The desire to see him face to face becomes your passion. It is here that you worship him with total abandon for what he has done. He is the lifter of your head.