Lyrics altered. Purpose: I have a great concern for music that comes from the prayer closet of songwriters without having gone back into the prayer closet regarding its function in corporate worship. Music we write out of our intimacy with God that is personally meaningful needs to be reconsidered in light of the body of Christ joined together for a service of worship. Furthermore, it is deeply distressing that the jargon for human affection in our pop culture has tinctured our understanding of God's relationship to His people. Nothing could be more opposed than God's steadfast love (hesed) and our culture's addiction to transient outbursts of feeling--what is so-called "love." That said, my alteration of the chorus--though simple--comes with purpose. The original lyrics for the chorus read, "I want to know You, I want to hear Your voice, I want to know You more . . . I want to touch You, I want to see Your face, I want to know You more." It is my persuasion that the reference to touching the face of Almighty God is alarming. Some names come to mind . . . Uzzah who was killed for touching the Ark of the Covenant, Isaiah who is filled with fear when he sees the 'King, the LORD of hosts!', Peter who ends up face down on the mount of transfiguration . . . and I could go on. I believe that the position we have before God should not equate the sentiments of stroking the face of your spouse with somehow touching the face of God. Moses did ask to see God's glory, but God specifically told him that he was not to see His face. Yes, Christ does call us friends; yes, the church is the bride of Christ; however, we must realize that by equating God to man we have only succeeded in creating God in our own image. This all has run through my mind only because I rather like the little chorus and wish to lead my church in singing it. The alteration to the text is simple--it joins the hearing of God's voice with the Word of God.

Lyrics altered. Purpose: There is something so compelling about this simple song written by Fernando Ortega. When we were working through a study on demonology at Berean, I prepared this as a sung-prayer. Since it was for a morning service, and needed to apply to the congregation as a whole, I took the liberty to make the lyrics appropriate to that end.

New verse added. Purpose: I just love the Biblical imagery that helps us understand how God uses His Word in the lives of His people. The well-known verse to this chorus stems from the image of a lamp (Psalm 119:105) lighting the path walked by a follower of God. I love that. It reminds us that we _walk_ rather than stand still--while implying that we are surrounded by the _darkness_ of our fallen condition--and that we travel the ways of God in desperate need of _light_ which God has graciously provided in His Word. God's Word is also described as a sword for use in the Christian life--which is a battleground (Ephesians 6:12, 16). Hebrews 4:12-13 is another wonderful echo of this imagery of the Word of God being ". . . sharper than a two-edged sword. . ."