In musical terms, I’m a child of the 70s. I grew up on the
heavyish rock of Argent, Led Zeppelin, Free and Deep Purple. And when I’m
feeling nostalgic, that’s still where I return.
So you won’t be surprised to learn that I never really got into Rap, didn’t particularly get along with Punk and as for Garage, Grunge and Grime… it passed me by.
That was, until four months back, when the artist Stormzy appeared as a guest on X Factor on TV, and sang Blinded by Your Grace. I’m told he’s a Grime and Hip Hop artist. What I heard was pure Gospel. In fact, for me, one of the best Gospel songs I’ve heard in many years.
If you’ve not heard it yet, here’s a link:
As I watched, I found myself worshipping:
Lord, I've been broken
Although I'm not worthy
You fixed me, I'm blinded
By your grace
You came and saved me...
You saved this kid and I'm not your first
It's not by blood and it's not by birth
But oh my God what a God I serve…..
Now I'm in a better place
No longer afraid
Blinded by your grace
You came and saved me
It’s been a particularly tough time, especially with regard to local church. I’m a part-time church historian, so I know that even in the most successful revivals in history, there’s often an undercurrent of unrest and disagreement. Even my heroes George Whitefield and John Wesley fell out for a while!
There’s a verse in Proverbs that says:
There are friends who pretend to be friends
But there is a Friend who sticks closer than a brother.
It’s important to focus on line 2, not line 1, and that is what I choose to do.
As I write this, I look out of the window, I see all His creation, I think of all He’s done and I’m blinded by His grace. Amazed at a God who would love me, who saved this kid- and I’m not His first. What a God we serve…
So you won’t be surprised to learn that I never really got into Rap, didn’t particularly get along with Punk and as for Garage, Grunge and Grime… it passed me by.
That was, until four months back, when the artist Stormzy appeared as a guest on X Factor on TV, and sang Blinded by Your Grace. I’m told he’s a Grime and Hip Hop artist. What I heard was pure Gospel. In fact, for me, one of the best Gospel songs I’ve heard in many years.
If you’ve not heard it yet, here’s a link:
As I watched, I found myself worshipping:
Lord, I've been broken
Although I'm not worthy
You fixed me, I'm blinded
By your grace
You came and saved me...
You saved this kid and I'm not your first
It's not by blood and it's not by birth
But oh my God what a God I serve…..
Now I'm in a better place
No longer afraid
Blinded by your grace
You came and saved me
It’s been a particularly tough time, especially with regard to local church. I’m a part-time church historian, so I know that even in the most successful revivals in history, there’s often an undercurrent of unrest and disagreement. Even my heroes George Whitefield and John Wesley fell out for a while!
There’s a verse in Proverbs that says:
There are friends who pretend to be friends
But there is a Friend who sticks closer than a brother.
It’s important to focus on line 2, not line 1, and that is what I choose to do.
As I write this, I look out of the window, I see all His creation, I think of all He’s done and I’m blinded by His grace. Amazed at a God who would love me, who saved this kid- and I’m not His first. What a God we serve…
2 comments:
I love this song, in fact I watched him on the Brit awards, and from winning both Brits Stormz, he praised God for what he had achieved. A great guy and a proper influencial artist.
Yes, I thought he was great at the Brit Awards- though I prefer the more laid back version on the Radio 1 site. Such a powerful song!
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