Mark Lowry – How He Loves

A great song should never preach; it should turn the light on. I don’t want to chew your food for you. I want to set the buffet, and let you come get what you need. Just like Jesus in Matthew 23, He looks at the Pharisees, which the religious folks were the only people He ever chewed out, and can you imagine Jesus looking at you and saying, “You’ve taken God’s law, which should be a banquet for all to come and feast, and you’ve bundled it into rules. And you’ve loaded them down like pack animals, and you won’t lift a finger to help them up when they fall beneath the load.”

I have known preachers like that, who take God’s law, God’s mercy and bundle it into rules, as if rule keeping could save anybody. I mean that’s what sent Paul off on a tyrant against Peter. You’re wanting to circumcise people again? What good did that do us except a lot of pain? It’s not my job to spank your kids; it’s God’s job to spank His kids. It’s my job to love them and to woo them to Jesus, just woo the bride to the bridegroom, and let Him clean her up.

CCM: Through the years, I have observed your support of friends who, like you, are in the public eye, and who have come under the scope of criticism when their personal struggles and failures became public. I have seen you continue to support them in a very sturdy, quiet, spiritually strong way. It seems that you are really interested in the restoration of redemption.
ML: Oh, I want to be a part of it. I need it for me. Lord, have mercy. I want to show mercy, I want to give mercy, and I want to receive mercy. Why not? If everybody knew what I did, nobody would buy a ticket. I have sinned. I have messed up. There are days I wish to God I could go back and relive, but I can’t, and I just hope no one ever finds out about them. God knows all about it. I’m not worried about Him. It’s His people that scare me. Have you seen that bumper sticker: “Jesus, please save me from your followers”? Well, they scare me. But oh no, I’ve never felt condemned in His presence. I’ve felt convicted, but I’ve never felt ashamed. If you feel ashamed in the presence of the Lord, you need to fire him. You’ve got the wrong one.

I feel most in His presence when I’m in the shower. I don’t know why. But I’m alone, I am not on stage, I let that water fall over me, and I just talk to Him. He’s brought things up, and I’ve had to jump out of the shower, still naked, and go write an apology letter or go write a thought. He’s given me great thoughts in the shower that have turned into stories. I don’t know if it’s that way for everybody. Everybody’s got their place maybe. And He’s the only one that can stand to see me naked—that’s why I’m always alone in there.

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