In a word: anthem

Psalm 42:8 The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime; And His song will be with me in the night, A prayer to the God of my life .

anthem
n.
A hymn of praise or loyalty.
A choral composition having a sacred or moralizing text in English.
A modern ballad accompanied by rock music instrumentation.
[Middle English anteme, from Old English antefn, from Late Latin antiphōna, from Late Greek, from neuter pl. of antiphōnos, sounding in answer : anti-, in return; see anti– + phōnē, voice.]

This morning I had a blog visit from a gal whose blog is called Sanctified Woman... that triggered my desire to find an old favorite song by a similar name. What an interesting bunny trail it was for me. The song I was looking for came from a late 70's album by Janny Grein. (yes, I'm that old) Looking for it led me to a few other oldies from that era, and to a couple of her songs from the same album.

Often, I am inspired by the faith of the generations that came before me, especially my grandmother's, but today it was my own generation, and my own journey that stirred me. In the late 70's I was a teen that loved the Word. In those years I attended the big and original Calvary Chapel with Pastor Chuck Smith. Every week, and actually nearly every night, hundreds of people would come to church carrying rather large, I mean, REALLY large bibles. The bibles were usually encased with some kind of cover, likely denim or tooled leather. The bibles were read and talked about. Treasured. The word was taught from Genesis to Revelation. Systematically and in order. (Sunday nights) It had been since childhood Sunday schools that I had heard much of the God that was contained in the Old Testament. He was the same God to me as the one from the New Testament and I loved hearing the Word from the Old Testament, something that was missing from most Sunday mornings in my life. It just felt wonderful to be in a place that embraced the whole bible and savored it as a whole package.

Today, the teens and young adults from the 70's are finishing the raising of their children, and becoming grandparents. We have miles to go, but we have a journey of faith to look back on now too. I have heard of those finding the old Jesus music on the internet and finding tears in their eyes. I did too. Yes, some of the music sounds really dated (and some timeless, and some foot-tapping fun) but it was part of our faith journey. Looking back we see our walk with God and His walk with us. We remember the personality of our generation, and the personality of the faith of that era. It's a part of who we are. A part of our perspective which we bring forward to the next generations. I can tell you that I have not always been faithful, but God has. I can tell you that some of the anthems of my passion still ring true. I can tell you that my passion still has purpose, and though I dance with bum knees and other slow-downs, there is a race I can still run. There is a baton I can still hand off. There are still water bottles to hand out.

The soundtrack of my journey includes the hymns of my grandmother and the music of the Jesus people in the 70's. It includes the beginning of the worship music era, and today's new music. Today, the 70's music reminded me of my youth. I was encouraged with the reminder that God's Word has always been important to me, and humbled knowing that I had tripped up along the journey in ways I would not have expected. I can tell you God is faithful.

I encourage you to appreciate the anthems of your journey. They inspire, encourage, convict, and energize you. The songs of your journey become entwined in your memory, reminders of God's faithfulness.

Janny's songs had the Word in them. It rang true for me. I couldn't find "Sanctified Made Useful" but I found two other songs that I really appreciated, on myspace. "Covenant Woman" and "More Than Conquerors". You can find the oldies here: http://www.myspace.com/jannygrein

I dare you to listen to them.