My Story Your Glory

Earlier this year, Matthew West released a double album called My Story Your Glory.  It is probably my favorite Matthew West album, yet.  In my opinion, it is probably his best album, yet!  He deals with a lot of issues throughout this 22-song album.  I am going to explore some of these ideas over the next couple months.  However, this “series” will not be the only topic I will write about.  Some of my posts will be in this series, and some will be on a different topic.  Like the Rich Mullins series, this is one that each topic could stand alone.

This first post in the series will look at the title song on the album.

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This song touches on two major themes:  Grace and Glory.

The two verses of this song offer a split screen look at a person before and after they accept the grace of God.  Compare them line by line to see the distinct differences:

 

These verses don’t suggest that God will change your past, just how you view it.  As a Christian, you are not defined by your past, but by the grace of God.  God doesn’t change your past, but He can change your future.

Not that I have already obtained it [this goal of being Christlike] or have already been made perfect, but I actively press on so that I may take hold of that [perfection] for which Christ Jesus took hold of me and made me His own. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider that I have made it my own yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the [heavenly] prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Phi. 3:12-14 AMP)

Once, I was involved in a small group at a men’s retreat where we were taking a look at these verses.  The leader of our group suggested that Paul was either mistaken, or the scripture was mistranslated when it says in verse 13, “forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead”.  He told us that it is impossible to forget things, but we must still move forward whatever our past was.  He was incorrect in stating that there was a mistake in the scripture but correct in his conclusion.  The Greek word meaning “forgetting” actually means, “neglecting, no longer caring for”.  Your past will always be with you.  Memories of that past can be present for a long time.  However, you must neglect the past.  Don’t pay any attention to it.  Don’t care for, or nurture those old wounds.  Instead, leave them where they belong, in the past.  Then, you can move forward.

This song says, “My story, Your glory”.  Does Christ get the glory for your life?  Past, present, future?  If His grace is applied to your life, whatever that past may be is turned into the glory of God.  It is for His glory that you are delivered from your past.

I was in a small group at a church I attended for many years.  Our group was discussing a book.  In this book, there were a lot of testimonies given about some of the many things people had been delivered from.  There were stories a life of crime and prison, stories of drug abuse, and stories of all kinds of crazy things that people had been saved from.  During our discussion one week, someone said that reading this gave her “Testimony Envy”.  She said that her testimony wasn’t very exciting, that she hadn’t done any of these horrible things.  I told her that I wasn’t envious at all.  I said my testimony says that I have not lived a life of crime, or been to prison, or used drugs.  You don’t have to have a horrible past to appreciate what God has delivered you from.  We all make mistakes.  We all make the occasional wrong turn.  But praise be to God, we are saved from those things.  Matthew West says that now, his story has “Fingerprints of mercy on every page”.

God will use whatever your past may be and turn it around for His glory.

We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose. (Rom. 8:28 HCSB)

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My Story Your Glory
The story of me was a story of shame
Wrong turns written on every page
So many parts that were so messed up
But I love the part where You showed up
Rewriting my past, rewriting my hurt
Line by line, word by word
And now my story is livin’ proof
There’s not a chapter that you can’t use

My story, Your glory
My pain, Your purpose
My mess, Your message
In all things, I know You’re workin’
One life, one mission
One reason why I’m livin’
All for You, not for me
My story, Your glory

Now the story of me is a story of grace
Fingerprints of mercy on every page
No more ashamed of the path I took
You set me free to be an open book
If even my scars are part of Your plan
Take all of my heart, Lord, here I am
My only cause ’til You call me home
Is knowin’ You more and makin’ You known

My story, Your glory
My pain, Your purpose
My mess, Your message
In all things, I know You’re workin’
One life, one mission
One reason why I’m livin’
All for You, not for me
My story, Your glory

All of me, all for You
Let all I say and all I do
Point to the One who changed my life
And let me speak the legacy I leave behind

My story, Your glory
My pain, Your purpose
My mess, Your message
In all things, I know You’re workin’
One life, one mission
One reason why I’m livin’
All for You, not for me
My story, Your glory