TETHERED (Phil Wickham)

The older I get, the more I reflect upon my journey of faith and trials God has brought me through.

In many ways, my trials have been self-inflicted by destructive choices I have made rather than tests of faith brought on by the Lord to refine my character and sharpen my resolve. Yet despite the season of life I have found myself in, one thing remains the same: God's faithfulness.

For better or worse, He has shown me abundant grace despite my sinful thoughts and actions, and continues to love me unconditionally even when I choose to serve my flesh rather than obey His Word.

Perhaps that is why "Tethered," by Phil Wickham, holds such a special place in my heart, because it echoes my soul's desire to live in intimate relationship with Him despite my sinful behavior.

"For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate" (Romans 7:15).

The beauty of this song is that it does not hope God will hear our cries and meet our needs. Rather, it presumes God's faithfulness based on the promise of His Word which is more than enough to trust Him.

Truthfully, many followers of Christ find themselves in deep, spiritual valleys devoid of mountaintop joy. Salvation decisions become distant memories and self-preservation increasingly supplants submission and obedience to Christ as our primary (and even singular) source of strength in times of trial.

It is not difficult to understand why, for the majority of us are plagued by busyness which pulls us away from quality time in prayer and Bible study.

When we prioritize anyone or anything above God with our time, attention and affection, we devalue our relationship with Him as "nice to have" rather than "need to have," and shift from knowing His Word to having a vague memory of what He said in the first place.

Scripture warns, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones" (Proverbs 3:5–8). How, then, should we respond?

LYRICS: "I don't wanna miss the beauty of Heaven all around me. Your power and Your mercy, the greatness of Your love. I don't wanna lose the wonder of being in Your presence, of knowing such a friendship, to be with You, my God."

The key to not leaning upon our own understanding is not being wise in our own eyes. It requires we acknowledge that our perspective is limited compared to the all-powerful, omniscient and omnipresent God we serve, which should compel us to seek His wisdom in all circumstances.

However, we know far too well what it is like to know right from wrong and choose the latter without reservation. To that end, we must keenly remember, "For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries" (Hebrews 10:26–27).

When I have chosen to sin in my life (and yes, active sin is a deliberate, personal choice of my own volition), lack of intimacy between God and I is painfully magnified. I can trace a line from my sin directly to a void of Bible study and prayer in my life.

In other words, apart from God's protection I am destined for failure (and my life testifies to that truth, more than I care to admit!) Therefore, when I reflect upon my past failures, the only response my heart can now make is to stay awake, immerse myself in His Word, and not miss the beauty of Heaven nor the power of God's presence in my life. It echoes a similar parable Jesus taught...

"Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour" (Matthew 25:1–13).

LYRICS: "Everything I am, I throw into Your hands. I just want my life to ever be entwined with You, tethered to Your heart. I just want my soul to ever stand in awe of You, tethered to Your heart."

When we prioritize quality time with God, our personal will begins to entwine (interweave) itself with His and our hearts tether (securely fasten) together. What an amazing picture! However, truth be told, many of us struggle trusting God without strings attached.

We doubt God's Word which reminds us, "Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit" (Jeremiah 17:7–8).

Complete trust is earned when it is proven. Yet despite how faithful the Lord has been to us, we hold onto self-preservation in order to fall back on, presuming there is a possibility God will fail us. Why? Dare I say we've lost our awe of Him!

In many cases, our lack of trust in God is grounded in unrealistic expectations we place upon Him. Without recognizing it, our prayers become demands, which can only be satisfied based on personal preference rather than His divine wisdom.

In other words, God must answer our prayers when, where and how we deem appropriate in order to be proven trustworthy and faithful, regardless of our limited perspective compared to His omniscience. Keep in mind, the God we serve encourages us to test His faithfulness.

For instance, "Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need" (Malachi 3:10).

However, we must understand that testing the Lord is conditional in that our will and actions must align with the promises of His Word so there is no conflict of interest.

If not, Scripture warns, "You shall not put the LORD your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah. You shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and his testimonies and his statutes, which he has commanded you" (Deuteronomy 6:16–17).

LYRICS: "What more could I desire? What greater thing to treasure? I'm convinced there's nothing better than living in Your love. Caught up in the wonder of being in Your presence, of knowing such a friendship, to be with You, my God."

Personal relationship with God is paramount to breaking free from bondage in our lives. That may seem simplistic at first glance. Nonetheless, freedom is not found in religion but faith, and those who understand that truth have the power to change the trajectory of their lives from valley despair to mountaintop joy overnight.

Keep in mind, there is no presumption we will forever avoid trials and despair because we are born-again. Rather, as Christians we should expect hardship and persecution to come and thus celebrate trials because we know He is walking with us in the valley and refining us through the fire for our sanctification.

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing" (James 1:2–4).

When we shift focus off ourselves and realize the purpose of trials in our lives, our perspective changes. We realize there is nothing greater to treasure than spending quality time with God because He is the source of our strength, which inevitably helps us endure the hardships we face.

In Jesus' greatest hour of need, He prayed, "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done" (Luke 22:42). Jesus knew what was about to happen and prayed His Father would remove the trial so He would not have to endure it. What happens next, though, cannot be missed. 

"And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him" (Luke 22:43).

Jesus was not spared the ultimate trial of mankind in any way, but instead provided strength from the Father for the inevitable torture and execution He was about to face.

"And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross" (Philippians 2:8). 

Therefore, what more could we need or desire in our time of need? For if Christ died in our place for our eternal salvation, are we not fully convinced He is our complete sufficiency in all things?

LYRICS: "Draw me closer. Take me deeper. I wanna be where You are."

The power to change and overcome any obstacle or pattern of sin requires surrender to the Lord's will, which cannot be attained without time spent in His Word.

"So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, 'If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free'" (John 8:31–32).

How then shall we abide? What does that mean? According to Noah Webster's 1828 Dictionary, to abide means, "to rest or dwell; to continue permanently or in the same state; to be firm and immovable."

Therefore, if we are to know our Lord and Savior more intimately, we must cling to the absolute truth of Holy Scripture till our dying breath, unshakable in our faith and resolute in His promises which seals our salvation for eternity.

However, there will be times when we are tempted to lose sight of the horizon and trade our eternal birthright for a momentary pleasure (just as Esau once did). In those moments, we must never forget Jesus' commission:

"So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 10:32–33).

"Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness’" (Matthew 7:21–23).

If we crave true friendship with the Lord, we must spend quality time with Him. But if we desire peace which transcends all understanding, we must discipline ourselves to know His Word more deeply than we can fathom and apply it in full submission and obedience for His glory (not ours), even if it costs us our lives.

In the end, our sole purpose as born-again followers of Jesus Christ is simply to know Him more and obey His commands.

"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand" (John 10:27–28).

Again, the older I get, the more I realize how satisfying submission and obedience to Christ truly is. For no attainment of wealth, title, esteem or pleasure can come close to the joy of knowing my eternity is sealed forever because I have accepted Jesus' free gift of salvation by grace through faith alone.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast" (Ephesians 2:8–9).

Today, I can say for certain I know my Savior and He knows me by name. Therefore, no matter what the future may hold or what trials assuredly lie ahead, my soul is at peace because I have found rest in the arms of Jesus.

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28–30).

In many cases, the sins of my past could have baited me into thinking I was unworthy of forgiveness, but God saw otherwise by cleansing my guilt and shame and drawing me unto Himself.

Sadly, millions of souls will pass from this life to the next proudly rejecting the Bible and placing their eternal bet on false doctrine and/or self-preservation. What they fail to realize is their final destination is a desolate place void of hope but overflowing with regretful weeping and gnashing of teeth.

To that end, we weep, mourn and remedy to unashamedly share the Gospel of Jesus Christ in love with the lost, prepared for whatever reaction or response comes our way.

"But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15).

Therefore, to those of us whom God has illuminated our eyes to see His glory and share in His inheritance, we must never take our salvation for granted but humbly declare, "I just want my life to ever be entwined with You tethered to Your heart. I just want my soul to ever stand in awe of You, tethered to Your heart."