Leave Me Astounded
Spirit fall
Open up heaven's door
We're waiting with worship for more
You're the only love that satisfies me
Lord, we run into Your loving arms
We're safe and secure in Your love
You're the only love that satisfies me
Open up heaven's door
We're waiting with worship for more
You're the only love that satisfies me
Lord, we run into Your loving arms
We're safe and secure in Your love
You're the only love that satisfies me
Leave me astounded, leave me amazed
Show off Your glory, let heaven invade
We're waiting with worship, we're waiting with praise
For the almighty presence of God to invade.
Show off Your glory, let heaven invade
We're waiting with worship, we're waiting with praise
For the almighty presence of God to invade.
A couple of years ago, at a Camp that I was serving at, this song was specifically chosen as the theme song of the camp. This song was specifically chosen for the purpose of helping the youths to call upon the Holy Spirit, to give them that personal encounter with the Lord. And what moves me about this song, apart from the fact that it calls upon the Holy Spirit to come to us, just like how it came to the disciples and Mary did at Pentecost which the Church celebrates today, is the fact that this song invites the Holy Spirit to leave us astounded.
Why on earth would we invite anyone to leave us astounded? According to the English dictionary, to be astounded means to be shocked, astonished, greatly surprised. These are emotions which the average human being would normally not welcome with open arms. Yet, this song invites the person of the Holy Spirit to leave us astounded.
As I reflect on this, the reality is that our God is a God of surprises, and he often leaves astounded the human race whom he loves. He did this in the Old Testament, where the Israelites were left astounded as God allowed them to capture the promise land, after doing nothing but marching around Jericho for days. He did this when he came down to earth in a human form, and allowed himself to be tortured and killed out of love for humanity. And he did this when he sent the Holy Spirit, which allowed the disciples to do things that they had never been able to do before, such as speaking in different tongues, baptising thousands within a day, and curing the sick.
How about us? In our lives, have there been times where the Holy Spirit has left us astounded? Have there been times where we were simply amazed at the workings of the Spirit in our lives? Chances are, for most, if not all of us, there have been such times.
I've been astounded by the spirit this Pentecost. In a world where Lockdowns and Movement Control Orders have become the norm, the spirt has moved many of us to find new and innovative ways to be together, to stay united in our faith and love for the Lord. Many of us find that we have much more time on our hands today, and we use this time to connect with the Lord personally in prayer. With the gift of technology, many of us have made an effort to study our faith, with the hopes to deepen our love for our Lord and his Church. Some of us have even gathered to pray in an online platform. We have not allowed the physical closure of our Churches to hinder us from being united as the Body of Christ. I actually have been blessed to have been able to form a community that gathers to pray the Liturgy of the Hours over Zoom in the Morning and Evening.
The spirit indeed leaves us astounded. However, we need release control and allow him to leave us astounded. And in order for this to happen, we need to be open to the promptings of the spirit in our lives. Will we accept this challenge?
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