Nothing WithheldSample

This song for me is about allowing ourselves to be fully known by a God who has made himself fully known to us in the person of Jesus. When we view God as this punitive authority figure we have a tendency to hide the most vulnerable parts of ourselves, or the ugly thoughts and actions. We often do this subconsciously because we believe on the surface that God loves us unconditionally but secretly fear that God not only disapproves of us, but he is also mad with us and couldn’t possibly like us. Then we project those thoughts and feelings onto God and assume in many ways through many seasons that God is actually withholding himself from us. Hiding his presence, refusing healing, withdrawing protection.

However, we see the promise of the Lord in Deuteronomy 31:8 that he would “never leave us, nor forsake us.” Doubling down on this promise, Jesus enters the story as the fullest representation of God. Making God fully known to us, walking beside us, sending us an advocate in the Holy Spirit. In Jesus, God has revealed himself fully. When we recognize that in spite of our shortcomings, our sin, our shame, our inconsistency, our hypocrisy, we are wholly loved by Jesus, we can step into the light. We don’t have to fear abandonment when we show the worst parts of ourselves. Jesus has seen it all and yet he chose to take the cross anyways. May the Lord open our eyes to his presence in the middle of it all – from the chaotic to the mundane. May we see ourselves and our world through the lens of Jesus. May we know our God does not withhold himself from us and in return we withhold nothing from him.