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Call Upon the Lord - Elevation Worship

We need no other hiding place
Our hope is safe within your name
This we know, this we know
You promise never to forsake
What you began you will sustain
This we know, this we know

I will call upon the Lord
For he alone is strong enough to save
Rise your shackles are no more
For Jesus Christ
Has broken every chain

All of the heavens and the earth
Announce the fullness of your worth
This we know, this we know
Every enemy will flee
As we declare your victory
This we know, this we know

I will call upon the Lord
For he alone is strong enough to save
Rise your shackles are no more
For Jesus Christ
Has broken every chain

Jesus' name will break every stronghold
Freedom is ours when we call his name
Jesus' name above every other
All hail the power of Jesus' name

I will call upon the Lord
For he alone is strong enough to save
Rise your shackles are no more
For Jesus Christ
Has broken every chain

Romans 7:6 - But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.

John 14:6-7 – “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

2 Samuel 22:2-4 – “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior—from violent people you save me. “I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and have been saved from my enemies.”

Bondage. Enslavement. Yoke. Chains. All of these words invoke a burdensome picture in my mind. I can imagine the weighed down shoulders of a person carrying a load they were never intended to carry. It makes me wonder, in my spiritual state, how burdened down do I look? How much extra weight am I carrying around of things that should be laid down at the foot of the cross?

I find it so interesting that John closed off his letter, 1 John, by saying, “Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.” He didn’t give any common benediction or promise of a future visit. He simply warned his readers to watch out for idols. Idols can be so sly in nature. They’re not all as obvious as a golden calf. They can even come in the form of something good. Basically, anything in our lives that we put more emphasis on than our relationship with Christ is an idol for us.

I have struggled with idolatry in my life over various things and people. Sometimes, that tactile item or person that is visibly present is easier to pour into than a spiritual relationship with God. The promise of eternity is overshadowed by the present.

Have you ever asked God to make you aware of sin in your life and then you were completely unprepared for Him actually answering you? Like, God blatantly points out where you’re being idolatrous in your life and He won’t let it go until you make a change? That is exactly what happened to me right around Christmas 2012. God had been gently making me aware of an idol in my life but, that December, He completely called me out on it and I had to let it go. What was my idol? My house.

If you’re ever interested in having your life changed drastically, I recommend reading “Crazy Love” by Francis Chan. It was through this book that God finally broke through to my heart and all the idolatrous bonds to my home were shattered. For almost 13 years we lived in our large home, filling it with pretty things and changing up the décor on occasion. I knew the amount space in the house was more than we could ever need with only having one child but there was just something about owning such a nice house. My pride would swell when people shared how much they liked where we lived. But, over time, I began to despise the space. I would become depressed when people talked about our home. All of the space filled with all of our stuff became a burden that was suffocating me. I had to get out. After years of gently prodding, God used “Crazy Love” to get me out of my comfort zone and into living a life free from this burden.

Jesus says in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” How true this is! When He called me to give up my home, my security, my societal value, He replaced it with value in Him. God lead us to the house He had chosen for us in a matter of days. When we walked into our new house, we simply knew we were home.

This song, Call Upon the Lord by Elevation Worship, encourages us to reach out to Christ. He wants to share in our burdens. The line that means the most to me speaks of the amazing freedom we have in Christ. “Rise, your shackles are no more for Jesus Christ has broken every chain.” And, so I ask, what are you being called to let go of? What does Christ want to give you freedom over? He has already broken the chains! Don’t just sit in the rubble of broken chains, live in the freedom of being burden-free.

Galatians 5:1a – “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.”