“You are off work tomorrow, so you have no excuse!” And she was right – I had no excuse. My sister had asked me to join them in the hot tub one Wednesday evening for a girly chat with my mum. As my list of reasons for not going were rejected, I relented. It wasn’t the time together that put me off, rather the getting ready and driving over to my family home.
As I got into the car, I put on my praise playlist. Driving and tiredness can both make me a little grumpy and the combination of the two is asking for trouble. But as I drove along the road, the sun was beginning to go down and the words of the songs started to seep into my veins. As the sky grew pinker, the song changed, and the Spirit moved me.
Is anyone worthy? Is anyone whole?
Is anyone able to break the seal and open the scroll?
The Lion of Judah, who conquered the grave
He was David’s root and the Lamb who dies to ransom the slave.
Is He worthy? Is He worthy?
Of all blessing and honour and glory
Is He worthy of this? HE IS!
Suddenly the sky was alive, revealing the awe and majesty of our Creator, Father, Redeemer, Friend. Is He worthy? Absolutely! Does the Father truly love us? 100 percent. Does the Spirit move among us? You bet. Does Jesus, our Messiah, hold forever those He loves? Undeniably. Does our God intend to dwell again with us? Without a doubt. Wow! Is He worthy? How could anyone say He is not!
As you can imagine the song has remained a firm favourite over the last number of weeks. Each time I listen, different phrases catch my attention. It is impossible not to be moved by the words. Tears streaming down my face, goosebumps from head to toe, smile from ear to ear, are just just some of the more recent ‘journey to work’ emotions as I have listened to the song time and again. What started as a reluctant journey that Wednesday evening became an inspiring moment of the wonder and splendour of Our King.
God, our Father wants to bless us and shows us His love daily in so many ways. Every now and then, we just need a beautiful sunset to stop us in our tracks. Sometimes it is worth saying ‘yes’ even if you would rather say ‘no’!
Tara is a new Inspire Missioner. She lives in Northern Ireland with her husband Niall, and close to her family who are all long-time Inspire enthusiasts!
Is He Worthy?
Do you feel the world is broken? (We do)
© Shane and Shane, Writer: Andrew Peterson
Do you feel the shadows deepen? (We do)
But do you know that all the dark won’t
Stop the light from getting through?(We do)
Do you wish that you could see it all made new? (We do)
Is all creation groaning? (It is)
Is a new creation coming? (It is)
Is the glory of the Lord to be the light within our midst? (It is)
Is it good that we remind ourselves of this? (It is)
Is anyone worthy? Is anyone whole?
Is anyone able to break the seal and open the scroll?
The Lion of Judah who conquered the grave
He was David’s root and the Lamb who died to ransom the slave
Is He worthy? Is He worthy?
Of all blessing and honor and glory
Is He worthy of this? He is.
Does the Father truly love us? (He does)
Does the Spirit move among us? (He does)
And does Jesus, our Messiah hold forever those He loves? (He does)
Does our God intend to dwell again with us? (He does)
Is anyone worthy? Is anyone whole?
Is anyone able to break the seal and open the scroll?
The Lion of Judah who conquered the grave
He is David’s root and the Lamb who died to ransom the slave
From every people and tribe
Every nation and tongue
He has made us a kingdom and priests to God
To reign with the Son
Is He worthy? Is He worthy?
Of all blessing and honor and glory
Is He worthy? Is He worthy? Is He worthy of this?
He is!
Andrew Peterson’s inspiration for writing the song ‘Is He Worthy?
“I’ve been attending a liturgical church for the last several years, and it rings all my word-nerd bells. The language is so beautiful and rich, and every service rehearses the story of salvation, culminating in Communion. One of the things I love about it is that the congregants are a part of the service. There’s a lot of interaction, not just in the call and response but in the singing and prayer time as well. The word “liturgy” means “the work of the people,” so a liturgical service implies community-not just listening to a pastor (though that happens), but edifying one another by reaffirming what we believe again and again. I wanted to write a song that did the same. Revelation 5 contains one of the most beautiful and dramatic scenes in scripture, and is centered around the question, “Is anyone worthy?” The resounding answer is, “Yes! And his name is Jesus.”
