… Every Crown”
The words kept circling my brain until, in desperation, I looked them up. Turns out they’re from a song we sing at church (I knew that) called “Make Room.” Here are the lyrics:
[Verse 1]
Here is where I lay it down
Every burden, every crown
This is my surrender
Hmmm. What does it mean, “every burden, every crown?”
Both the bad and good things in our lives?
Are we to take neither as our own?
Maybe I’m not defined by the things that happen to me.
Or the things I have.
And surrender? Like in a battle?
Oh, maybe the battle against sin, self and failure.
Here is where I lay it down
Every lie and every doubt
This is my surrender
Lies and doubts? Don’t need ’em.
I want truth and surety.
Truth even when it hurts, surety as a foundation for life.
[Chorus]
And I will make room for You
To do whatever You want to
To do whatever You want to, Jesus
Make room! Ah! Maybe that’s why I need to jettison all the stuff that happens:
to make space for Jesus to work in me.
[Spontaneous]
Have Your way, have Your way, Jesus, oh
We surrender all, we surrender all, Jesus
This is scary. If I surrender everything, what then? Who will I be?
This is a big faith question. Yet I want to want it.
[Bridge]
Shake up the ground of all my tradition
Break down the walls of all my religion
Your way is better
Oh Your way is better
“Tradition… religion.” Crutches? Maybe.
Comfort zone, definitely.
Another thing to get in the way?
Because,
Then you will call out to me. You will come and pray to me.
And I will listen to you. When you look for me with all your heart, you will find me. I will be found by you,”
announces the Lord. “And I will bring you back from where you were taken as prisoners.”
Jeremiah 29:12-14a New International Reader’s Version
Prisoners – of circumstances, of lies and doubts,
of traditions that promise but don’t deliver.
Prisoners of things we are afraid to let go.
Laying it down is a choice.
God can’t fill us with Himself if we are full of everything else.
So,
[Verse 2]
Here is where I lay it down
You are all I’m chasing now
This is my surrender
This is my surrender