captivated by devastation

While listening to a song by watermark called "Captivated us". There was a phrase in the chorus that caught my attention. "..devastate us with your presence..." was the phrase that triggered off a string of thoughts that led to a small discovery of my own.

The song was so beautiful that I was just enjoying the song as it is until I realized the use of words that made the song such a pleasing song to listen to. At first thought, the word 'devastate' doesn't seem like the word you would associate with anything pleasant, let alone the presence of God. However, the word seem to be so aptly used in the song, illustrating the irony of Godly devastation being a blessing to us, that His presence would ruin us until only He can satisfy us.

Then I realized that the reason I love the hymn "When I survey the wondrous cross" has to do with the similar use of words."...Did e'er such love and sorrow meet, or thorns compose so rich a crown". Again the use of words like love and sorrow, thorns and crowns, such beautiful marriage of words. So I tried to think of other examples and another song by Ben Glover came to mind, the chorus reads: "Burglar of my soul, defeat me, O robber of my poison heart, Break into this callused core, Make me a victim of a thief, who's stolen by mercy." Now that is interesting song writing, using words like robbing and stealing and yet have no negative connotation to it.

There are also many instances where people write about the scars and wounds of the Lord Jesus and use them to describe beauty. Even in Matthew 11:30 it is written "For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." What we would usually consider as a burden is something heavy and hard to bear, but when it comes to the burden of the Lord it is light. All these words that are usually known to have negative implications seem to have a positive effect to it when it is used to describe the things of God.

I guess that is how it is with God isn't it? If at anytime we are found in a unpleasant situation, put God into the picture and everything makes sense and even the most painful of times can be healed by the promises and presence of God. It is also interesting to note that given the option to choose words to associated with God, why would many people choose words that would not connote what they literally mean? Is it merely for the sake of the art of poetry? Maybe. Still I would like to think that even if we try finding the best word to describe God in all His glory, nothing would come close; and sometimes in our futile attempts to do so, we may find that what seems to be the furthest from anything related to God may be the only words which are close enough to achieve the expression we hoped for.