I’m not an enormous fan of much of the contemporary worship music that seems to be overwhelming the hymns of yesteryear in most churches today, but from time to time there are some that I really enjoy.

One of the ones I find enthralling is “Dwell”:

Dwell in the midst of us
Come and dwell in this place
Dwell in the midst of us
Come and have Your way

Dwell in the midst of us
Wipe all the tears from our faces
Dwell in the midst of us
You can have Your way

Not our will, but Yours be done
Come and change us
Not our will, but Yours be done
Come sustain us

The words alone don’t do justice to the powerful tune that goes along with them, but even as I was singing this to myself I began to wonder.

“You can have Your way.” Do we really mean that when we sing those words? “Not our will, but Yours be done/Come and change us.” Do we see this played out in our everyday existence? Or do we merely leave those thoughts in the lobby of the church as we exit?

Is God really having His way with us? I have got to believe that our churches and the world around them would be profoundly different if this were truly the case.

I think it is true in most Christians lives, mine included, that a day spent wholly surrendered to Christ would be the exception rather than the rule. Most of us Americans spend our days blissfully—yet blatantly—imposing our will on God and everyone around us. And the last thing we’d ever want done is for someone to step in from outside and change our little world.

I think my thought for the day centers on this: Lord have Your way with me.

Wouldn’t that be wonderful? How different our lives would be if we got up in the morning and let the Spirit guide us in everything, large and small, we do in a day. I’ve got to believe people would see this, be totally astounded, and start banging on the doors of our churches clamoring to get in.

Lord, have Your way with us. We ask nothing more than to be submitted to you, as loyal subjects to the King of Kings. In You, nothing is impossible. Because we see only our will, we miss the greater glory only You can bring to every situation in every day. Yet not our will, but Yours be done. For the King and the Kingdom, Amen.