Songs & Seeds

I believe songs are seeds. When released, they are scattered and sent out to resonate with whom they will. Just as fertile soil will receive a scattered seed, hearts open up when a permeating truth resounds through lyric & melody. Songs & Seeds is a devotional series I’ve written to tend to the soil of the heart. This study is a deep dive into my song, As For Me. Feel free to listen before, after or as you read… Let’s get into it!

A Declaration

Found repeatedly throughout the pages of Scripture are these three words: “as for me.” As short a phrase as it may be, it has been a rocksolid declaration of saints throughout the ages. Perhaps you’re familiar with some instances of this phrase in Scripture, or maybe you’ve never really noticed it. Let’s take a look at a few:

“...as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” - Joshua 24:15

“...as for me, I will watch expectantly for the Lord” - Micah 7:7

“...as for me, the nearness of God is my good” - Psalm 73:28

“As for me, I will call upon God” - Psalm 55:16

Even cherry-picked right out of the Bible, these verses pack a punch. Greater significance however, can be gleaned by reading each declarative statement in it’s full context. Though quoted ages apart, in varying circumstances, a commonality can be found among them all.

Let’s look into this further..

“...as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” - Joshua 24:15

‘As for me’ is stated in the last chapter of the book of Joshua. At this point, Joshua, who had led the Israelites in the conquest of Canaan after their Exodus from Egypt, was coming to the end of his life. He gathered all of the tribes of Israel together to recount the nation’s history. He reminded them of God’s faithfulness throughout the generations and recalled events that occurred in his lifetime. To conclude his address, he called on the nation of Israel to faithfully serve the Lord.

In verses 14-15 it is written,

“Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt and serve the Lord. If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Take note of how that statement cuts, given its context. ‘As for me’ is used to differentiate between those who will serve foreign gods, idols of this world, and those who will serve the one true, living God.

This will be a common theme...

“...as for me, I will watch expectantly for the Lord” - Micah 7:7

In the seventh and final chapter of Micah, we again find this mention of the phrase, ‘as for me.’ Micah was a prophet, meaning he spoke on God’s behalf to His chosen people. Micah primarily prophesied of judgment to this people, who persistently pursued evil. In chapter seven, Micah is found grieving over the state of the nation, full of sorrow that there are none who serve the Lord. It is here, in the midst of a wayward generation that he declares in verse seven, “...but as for me, I will watch expectantly for the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation.” Again, this statement is made to separate oneself out from amongst a generation that does not seek the Lord.

“...as for me, the nearness of God is my good. ” - Psalm 73:28

The seventy-third Psalm, in its entirety, contrasts the ways of the wicked with the ways of the righteous. The psalmist actually becomes depressed when comparing the seeming prosperity of the wicked with the suffering that the righteous endure. That is until, as verse 17 states, the psalmist “came into the sanctuary of God, ” then, he perceived the end of his anguish. Once he came into God’s presence, his perspective was raised up to a heavenly one, able to discern truth.

Hear his renewed perspective in verses 27-28,

“For, behold, those who are far from You will perish; You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You. But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all Your works.”

The through-line continues, as the ‘called out ones’ of God are those who commit and consecrate themselves to Him, amidst a world turned away from Him.

“As for me, I will call upon God.” - Psalm 55:16

In Psalm fifty-five, David pours out his heart to God in sorrow over the betrayal of a loved one. In verse fifteen, he says that evil is in the betrayer’s dwelling and in the following verse, distinguishes himself as one who calls upon the Lord for salvation and is saved. Therein lies the only difference between the wicked and the righteous, one singular resolve, to trust in the Lord for salvation and so be saved.

As For Me: A Song By Trulah

I also resolved to declare this phrase in my own life for the first time, moments after giving in to the temptation to compare myself to others. I was holding myself up against artists who follow the patterns and systems of man as a means to carry themselves swiftly into success and victory, much like chariots.

Similar to the psalmist of Psalm seventy-three, I felt as though I had fallen behind, but in the presence of my God, my self pity met its end. My feelings were sifted by the Spirit of God. I picked up the nearest guitar, strummed familiar chords, and let my heart sing. Out from my mouth flew the chorus,

Some trust in chariots

Some trust the horse

But as for me

I’m trusting in the Lord

Some will follow any voice

Whatever strikes a chord

But as for me, I’m hanging on Your every word

Yeah, as for me, I will trust the Lord

I sang my heart into a voice memo, and realized I had a song. When I wrote out all the lyrics, I saw God’s Word glaring back at me. Psalm 20:7 reads,

“Some trust in chariots, and some in horses, but we will trust in the name of the Lord our God.”

Much like the other scriptures mentioned in this study, the way of the culture is identified and the psalmist makes distinction between it and himself , only this time, not with ‘me’ but “we.”

My prayer for you and I is this: that we together, amidst a world that pursues false gods as a means for salvation, would be of singular resolve..

As for us, we will trust in the name of the Lord our God.

Click to stream ‘As For Me’ by Trulah

Songs & Seeds

I believe songs are seeds. When released, they are scattered and sent out to resonate with whom they will. Just as fertile soil will receive a scattered seed, hearts open up when a permeating truth resounds through lyric & melody. Songs & Seeds is a devotional series I’ve written to tend to the soil of the heart. This study is a deep dive into my song, Shadow. Feel free to listen before, after or as you read… Let’s get into it!

Casting Shadows

All throughout the Bible, there is mention of shadows. Having grown up in the church, I am familiar with verses like Psalm 91:1, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty, ” but what does it really mean to be in the shadow of God?

This was a question I felt led to ponder and study with the Lord, trusting He had much to reveal. What I discovered, I couldn’t contain, and like most of my heart-prompted studies, it resulted in the writing of a song.

My song, Shadow is only a response, let’s study together the findings that made my heart sing.

The Shade of Shadows

A shadow is a dark shape that appears on a surface when an object blocks sunlight or other light. Shade refers to the area of shelter or covering produced when light is blocked. Where there is a shadow, there is shade. The two are a pair.

Throughout the Psalms, God is referred to as “shade, ” tzel in Hebrew. Psalm 121:5-6 says, “The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade (tzel) on your right hand.”

For the Israelites, this was not merely spiritual, but a physical reality. The sun was known as the source of heat that “attacks” by day, the moon was the source of cold that “attacks” by night. So when God led his people in the wilderness with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (Exodus 13:21), God was sheltering them from a very real enemy of cold and heat in the desert. What a beautiful picture of God’s covering and protecting presence.

What is the common enemy that God shields us from?

There is a shadow that hovers over all people, its presence is felt from age to age and its gloom is both present and forthcoming. This shadow is mentioned throughout God’s Word, in direct contrast with His divine shade and that is, the Shadow of Death. Let’s venture into the valley the Scriptures describe as being consumed by the shadow of death, in order to better understand His blessed shade.

The Shadow of Death

Psalm 23 defines this earthly shadow all men must walk through as the deep, sunless valley of the shadow of death. Psalm 102:11 describes man’s days being as an everlasting shadow that stretches out and declines with the sun, withering the writer like grass. 1 Peter 1:24 says that all mankind is like grass and all its glory like the flowers of grass which withers and drops off. Job 8:9 concludes that we are ‘but of yesterday and know nothing, because our days upon earth are a shadow.’ This shadow is the decay of man, and though the world often tries to escape its reality, man cannot reverse its curse.

While the shadow of death pertains to all people, none being exempt from its gloom, the good news is God’s saving shelter is relevant to all and available to ‘whosoever’ will take refuge in Him. He is the Shadow of Life.

The Shadow of Life

Let’s return to Psalm 23 and read it in full.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and your staff , they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Look at what the Shadow of Life contains for all who abide within it, according to the Psalmist: contentment, peace, restoration, righteousness, safety, confidence that abolishes fear, comfort, anointing, goodness, mercy, and assurance for the future. Wow. Now, that doesn’t mean the shadow of death disappears, notice the Psalmist still must walk through the valley of the shadow of death, but the Shadow of Life is an ever-present shield from all that which results in death.

Just as the shadow of death is visible now among men and impending with doom, the shade of Christ is both presently available and forthcoming with eternal hope instead of dread.

Light Casts A Shadow

Expressed in the first verse of my song ‘Shadow, ’ is the aspect of oneness we have with Christ in being enveloped in His shadow. I believe it is where the Psalmist receives his contentment in Psalm 23, knowing he is bound to the Good Shepherd, the source of Life and Light.

I have heard it said that where there is light, there must be shadow, where there is shadow there must be light. There is no shadow without light and no light without shadow. It is the Light of Christ that casts the shadow of safe-keeping in which we can abide. Isaiah 9:2, foreshadowing the coming of Christ reads, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great Light; those who dwelt in the land of intense darkness and the shadow of death, upon them has the Light shined.” Psalm 34 says that all who look on Him are radiant and their faces never blush with shame, for the Lord encamps around those who revere Him.

The shadow of death does not always appear as doom, but always ends in doom. Its deceptive, shifting shadows often claim ‘peace and safety, ’ promising what it cannot deliver. Seeking the shelter of other gods, worldly comforts, self-reliance, money, government, etc. only leads to nakedness (lack of a covering).

Adam and Eve were the first to place themselves within the shifting shadow of an empty promise, which pulled them out from within God’s safe-keeping. As soon as they did, their nakedness was realized and their shame, deeply felt.

They created a covering for themselves out of fig leaves and sought shade among trees to hide from God. But God did not accept these garments crafted in their own might. Here we see a truth about God and about ourselves..we were made to be covered, and covered, by God, as it goes on to say, “The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them, ” (Gen.3:21).

Clearly, it is innate within us to seek shade and take refuge in a shadow of some kind, for we were made to be covered. But only God can carry out the righteous act of covering the shame of our nakedness.

I’ll leave you with the prayer of Psalm 17:8, which is written in the lower right corner of the cover artwork of my song, Shadow. It’s actually the handwriting of a dear mentor and friend who wrote this verse to me in a card, the very same week I wrote the song, she herself having no idea what all God had done in my heart on the subject:

Keep and guard me as the pupil of Your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings.

Click to Stream Shadow by Trulah

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