Islam – peace, love and hope. Why?

 

In the first article in this series – I said I felt led to write about this topic. I also said I had been ignoring the call. 

So – what made me decide to write –
what was the thing that made the decision for me?

If you’re new to this site – the reason may surprise you.
If you’re a regular – you’re used to this.

I was in my car – listening to music –
and two songs played – one after the other –

Blessed Be Your Name

I Know You’re Out There Somewhere

The first one – Blessed Be Your Name –
as one might guess is a religious song –
by Rebecca Saint James.

And it’s meaning –
it’s pretty obvious –
Blessed be the name of God.

The second one though –
it’s a love song –
by the Moody Blues.

For a long time – I’ve thought this would be a great song to use on this site –
the title –
I know you’re out there somewhere –
it’s perfect for someone who knows that God exists –
but can’t quite seem to find Him.

But it’s the words –
what it says within the song –
that makes it perfect for this particular series.

It’s starts off with –

I know you’re out there somewhere
Somewhere, somewhere
I know I’ll find you somehow
And somehow I’ll return again to you

somehow I’ll return again to you

This isn’t just someone searching for God –
it’s someone searching for a God they used to know –
somehow got off track and lost Him –
and wants to return to Him.

And not just someone who wants to return to Him –
but someone who knows that it won’t be easy –
but still –
somehow –
is going to return to God again.

The mist is lifting slowly
I can see the way ahead
And I’ve left behind the empty streets
That once inspired my life

And in the midst of that searching –
though the way seems to have been hidden in the mist –
once the search begins –
things start to clear up –
the way starts to become visible.

And then the searcher realizes they have left behind the past –
those things that were so full of promise and life –
they seem to be empty now –
things that used to inspire the searcher’s life –
they have now been replaced by this new journey –
the quest for the One True God.

And the strength of the emotion
Is like thunder in the air
‘Cause the promise that we made each other
Haunts me to the end

As the search goes on –
emotions get stronger –
strong like thunder –
shaking literally everything around.

And why?
Because of a promise made –
by the searcher to the God that had been the object of that earlier life.
But this new journey –
it’s going to haunt the searcher to the end.
If it’s the last thing this person does –
they are going to find their One True God.

I know you’re out there somewhere
Somewhere, somewhere
I know you’re out there somewhere
Somewhere you can hear my voice

The searcher is holding onto that thought –
I know you’re out there somewhere
and now also knows that somewhere –
wherever that One True God is –
God can hear the voice of anyone searching for Him as well.
There’s now an added element of hope –
believing that God can hear the voices of those looking for Him –
that God can also help to direct the search –
leading to the next stanza of the song –

I know I’ll find you somehow
Somehow, somehow
I know I’ll find you somehow
And somehow I’ll return again to you

The searcher now knows for sure –
with God’s help –
there will be a return –
a reunion of God and those who search for Him.
Somehow gets repeated over and over again –
this isn’t going to be easy –
it’s going to be a struggle –
but if the search is real and from the heart –
it will be successful.
and at the end of that search will be –

The secret of your beauty and the mystery of your soul
I’ve been searching for in everyone I meet
And the times I’ve been mistaken, it’s impossible to say
And the grass is growing underneath our feet

the beauty and mystery of God –
the awesomeness of The One being searched for.
It could be anywhere –
so the searcher has to search everywhere –
and there’s lots of false hope –
too many times to even count –
but the searcher cannot let the grass grow underfoot –
cannot stop –
has to keep searching –
has to stay on the journey –
because –

Yes, I know it’s going to happen
I can feel you getting near
And soon we’ll be returning
To the fountain of our youth

the search will be successful –
The searcher can feel it –
knows without a doubt –
that the One True God who is the target of this search –
this struggle to know –
is near –
the reunion will happen –
and the One God that the searcher remembers from the innocent days of youth –
absolutely will be found –
and the days of innocence will eventually return –
the peace of those days will return –
and with the fountain of youth –
given by that One True God –
the days will be better than ever –
and last for ever.

And if there’s ever any doubt –
if the struggle seems to much along the way –
if the journey seems to long and hard –

And if you wake up wondering
In the darkness I’ll be there
My arms will close around you
And protect you with the truth

the One True God will be there –
comforting –
taking away the fear of darkness –
both literal darkness of the night –
and the darkness of spirit.
And He will protect the searchers –
wrapping His arms around them –
protecting them with the truth of who He is.

And so –
with that knowledge –
the searcher continues –

I know you’re out there somewhere
Somewhere, somewhere
I know you’re out there somewhere
Somewhere you can hear my voice

I know I’ll find you somehow
Somehow, somehow
I know I’ll find you somehow
And somehow I’ll return again to you

until the search is complete.

Yes –
it’s a song –
not about God –
but a secular love song.

But then –
doesn’t the feeling of love come from God?

And what greater object of love is there besides God?

So –
I’m driving –
and when this second song comes on –
I’m also crying.

I almost had to pull over.

The feeling –
from that One True God –
was that I just had to write this –
to help others who are searching for Him –
maybe you –
to let you know that He really is out there –
that He really can hear us –
that He really can hear you –
and He really will help to guide you –
and the reunion will take place –
and the struggle is more than worth it.

And just in case that wasn’t enough –
He gave me one more thing.

The struggle for me –
it wasn’t easy –
and it took a lot of years to get back again –
but for you –
if you’re a Muslim reader –
the struggle will be way more than anything I can possibly relate to.

The cost for you could be the ultimate one.

I’d like to think that if I was in your place –
I’d take on the search –
take on the struggle –
and make that reunion happen –
to actually find the God I was looking for originally.

And so –
the final things He gave me that really sealed the series –

There was that stuff in the news about this Internet character called Slender Man.
Two girls stabbed their friend 19 times –
trying to kill her –
to please this fictional Slender Man character.

And so we have people in this country –
using the Internet –
finding someone who doesn’t even exist, but is known to be just a story –
and ending up trying to kill someone because of “him”.

But for some of you –
using the Internet –
to find the One True God – the One you’ve been possibly looking for you’re whole life –
that search has gotten the searchers killed.

And the strength of the emotion
Is like thunder in the air
‘Cause the promise that we made each other
Haunts me to the end

At the end –
there’s no more haunting –
there’s just

Peace – His peace that is greater than any we could ever experience on earth

Love – His love – again greater than any we could experience on earth

Hope – but hope realized – which means knowing for sure that the Peace and Love are real – and eternal.

Yes, I know it’s going to happen
I can feel you getting near
And soon we’ll be returning
To the fountain of our youth

 

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More posts will be added to this series.  A complete list of links available at this time is available here.