Keith Green

Well, thinking about Randy Stonehill last week gave me a hankering for listening to classic Christian rock. On a recent road trip I popped Keith into my CD player. He was so passionate about his love for God. Here are some sample lyrics.

He'll Take Care of the Rest

You know it ain't no use, banging your head, up against that cold stone wall,
Cause nobody's perfect, except for the Lord, and even the best is bound to fall,
Remember He is de vine, and you are de branch,
He'd love to get you through it if you'd give Him a chance,
Just keep doing your best,
And pray that it's blessed,
And Jesus takes care of the rest.

Yes the Lord said that He'd take care of the rest, He's gonna do it,
He'll take care of the rest, He'll see you through it, yeah.
He'll take care of the rest, the devil blew it,
He'll take care of the, He'll take care of the rest.

Just think about Moses, in front of the burning bush, barefoot on the Holy ground,
You know, he must have been thinking, "hey, what`s an old dude like me,
Gonna tell em all when I go down", go down Moses,
The Lord said, "hey Moe, don`t you worry about your going down south,
I'll be saying every word that comes out of your mouth,
Just keep doing your best, and pray that it's blessed,
Hey Moe, I'll take care of the rest."

Yes the Lord said that He'd take care of the rest, he's gonna do it,
He'll take care of the rest, He'll see you through it, yeah.
He'll take care of the rest, oh, Pharaoh blew it,
He'll take care of the, He'll take care of the rest.

Just believe, and you'll receive, that comfort you need,
You just think about all those lonely people you know,
They've got everything they want, but they have empty souls,
Well, He'll take care of the, He'll take care of the, He'll take care of the,
care of the rest.

You just think about Noah, toting his umbrella, when there wasn't a cloud in the sky,
All his neighbors would laugh at his catchy raft, and would snicker as he
passed by,
But the Lord said, hey Noah, be cool, just keep building that boat,
It's just a matter of time till they see who's gonna float,
You just keep doing your best, and pray that it's blessed,
Hey Noah, I'll take care of the rest, I'm the weatherman.

The Lord said that he'll take care of the rest, He's gonna do it,
He'll take care of the rest, He'll see you through it, yeah.
He'll take care of the rest, his neighbors blew it,
He'll take care of the rest, Hallelujah.
He'll take care of the rest, only Jesus can see you through it,
He'll take care of the rest, yes, yes, yes,
He'll take care of the, He'll take care of the rest­.

At first glance, this song might appear to be promoting a "God helps those who help themselves" kind of philosophy. But, actually, it is providing an illustration of one of my favorite topics lately: real faith is seen best in obedience. We tend to think of faith as some kind of emotion that we have to generate in order to somehow make God work. Hebrews 11:1 states "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." If we read on, we see all of the examples of great people of faith listed. The common theme among them is that they obeyed what God told them to do. The conviction of things not seen had to do with faith that God knew what He was doing. Heb 11:6 "And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him."
It was NOT that they anticipated the outcome and felt sure that some miracle would happen. In fact, many of them did not see the good outcome that they hoped for. Heb 11:39 "And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised"

I have several friends who are going through hard times right now. And they are displaying this kind of faith when they continue to do what they know God wants of them, even when it is hard. Even when it seems like there may be an easier way out. And God is so pleased with that kind of faith. It is a faith in who God is, His character, wisdom and sovereignty (power). This kind of faith is not always dramatic, but it is real.