Back in the 70’s when I was a teenager Christian music songwriter and singer, Keith Green, suddenly emerged in the global Christian music scene. He was a fantastic and incredibly gifted writer and pianist, and I still listen to his music along with some other favourite Christian artists. My favourite album from the Keith Green body of work still is, “No Compromise”. In a very real way this summed up Keith’s life as a Christ-follower. Keith was uncompromising and, at times, prophetically “in your face” with his songs and public preaching. I witnessed this firsthand at a live performance in Melbourne back in 1976. He was a strong personality and, I think, a voice in the day back then. He could really rub you the wrong way, but his uncompromising passion for Jesus was powerful and contagious – I loved him for it.
Despite our giftedness or genius and passion for the Lord, we’re all still a bit flawed, I guess.
Back to “No Compromise”. One of the deeply moving songs on this album was written by Keith’s wife, Melody. The song is “Make My Life a Prayer to You”. As Keith sings this song, it is just so clear that all the studio distractions – people, electronics, stuff – have disappeared from his mind, and it is just Keith and the Lord. It is heartfelt, raw and honest – which is what Keith was really like. I have listened to this song many times over the years and every single time it moves me to tears. I wish I could have written something as beautiful as that, and could sing it as powerfully as that, unto the Lord. This was Keith’s heart worship. And it is a privilege, in a strange kind of way, to be able to eavesdrop on his prayer.
One stanza in those song lyrics has always powerfully touched my soul. It is written, thus:
“Well I wanna thank you now…For being patient with me… Oh it's so hard to see… When my eyes are on me
I guess I'll have to trust and just believe what You say… Oh you're coming again… Coming to take me away”
That line, “Well, I wanna thank you now for being patient with me”, arose from memory banks as I was praying after a long day of ministry on Sunday night. It had been a difficult disrupted week before, and I felt so short of time because of unexpected life ‘stuff’ that comes at all of us from left field, and a sudden death in the family, as well. I thanked the Lord for His tremendous grace upon me throughout the day on Sunday and, as I reflected on the day, as I do each evening, I saw so many things that I could have done better and didn’t or couldn’t for a range of reasons, one of which was insufficient abiding time with the Lord. I had allowed the tyranny of the urgent to distract me and had attended to those things at the expense of abiding time. Yet, the Lord, in His wonderful, amazing and excess of grace, had carried me through the weekend.
And so, as I lay in bed reflecting on all of this, making decisions to be more sensitive to Holy Spirit’s leading, more careful with decision-making and prioritising, and more rhythmically aware, Keith’s words came to mind. And I prayed them over and over, with tears …
“I wanna thank you now for being patient with me” …
I was overcome by the grace and love of the Father for me in that sacred moment. I prayed for forgiveness, I prayed my thanks and gratitude to my God to whom I owe everything. I repented – started to think differently, too. My eyes had been so much on me and getting all my ducks in a row, and getting all the ministry stuff done, that I had not redeemed sufficient time for abiding. It’s a trap I have occasionally fallen into – but I am getting better at realising the tendency to threaten my personal abide-work rhythm when so much stuff lands on my desk. God’s patience with us is fuelled by His great love, compassion, mercy and grace for each of us. But this does not mean we should presume on this and just keep doing what we are doing without any sense that repentance is necessary. In the reflective, abiding moments, we do the pruning (and that can be a repentance issue, too), we stop and get clarity, we are refreshed and refocused on Him to swing out to fruitfulness again. We grow so much in this abiding space …
I fell asleep Sunday night so full of God’s gracious and tender reassurance – and His love for me.
2 Peter 3:9 (NIV)
“The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
Along with 11 others, Keith was killed on July 28, 1982, when the small aircraft leased by Last Days Ministries crashed shortly after take-off from the private airstrip located on the Last Days Ministries ranch.
Thank you, Keith.
Ps Milton