There's A Life That's Deeper Than Our Mind

This past week I helped my youngest brother moved to start college. Without much delay, we found ourselves sitting in a cozy living room with a happy rescue dog lying down in the center of the room waiting to be petted. It was Friday night and we were surrounded by dear believers, young and old, singing hymns to the Lord. My heart was deeply touched that we could go to a new city and jumped right into a fellowship that was low-key but in essence, dripping with life.

Bringing my brother to this new city reminded me of my own transition as a freshman in college. Both my brother and I came from a high school in another country. No one could convince me otherwise, all these years Christ in the church has been the anchor of my soul. The Christ in the ministering of the word, in the church, continuously heals and humbles me. 

This does not mean I never struggle. I did encounter questions in my heart and at times came across offenses that hurt. But the power of life in the ministry of the word, both spoken and written, both through the leading ones and the believers around me, had again and again propelled me from death into life. This kind of life was resurrection to me. Where else would I go? 

I began to learn. Instead of burying my questions and offenses, I brought them to the Head, the Lord Himself. I began to pray in blessings, speaking well of those who offended me. I began to inquire the Lord of things I didn't quite understand. Those blessings became my own healing. Those inquiries revealed the Lord's hidden desires behind the tangibles. And yes, some of His hidden desires remain hidden but I'm learning to acknowledge and even treasure the fact that Christ is mysterious. He is God. He wants to be known but still who am I claiming to understand the unfathomable depth of His being.

So as I was enjoying singing with God's people in that living room, this hymn below nourished me to the uttermost.

Stanza 1:
There’s a life that’s deeper than our mind,

With experience of man, yet so divine.
It’s a life that knows no bounds;
And with glory is crowned;
It’s of depth and height and breadth unsearchable.
Now this life is just the Living One
Manifested in the Person of the Son.
As the Spirit, He flows;
In our spirit He grows,
Growing up to be the church that He desires.

Chorus:
O Lord, we’re just for Your flowing;
How we need a deeper knowing!
Life is why we’re here
And why You’ve come in us.
Turn us, Lord, turn us now;
Turn us deeply—Life is how
You will get the church,
The home You’re longing for.

Stanza 2:

In the church, we all can apprehend
All the riches of this life that is within.
Not just shallowness with strife,
But a deep and peaceful life
Is just waiting to flow out, a living spring.
With the saints it’s easy to be bold,
To pursue this life, to gain it, to lay hold.
All the other things we find,
Must be quickly left behind,
So that only life remains for us to see.

Stanza 3:

Deeper, Lord our turn must be to You;
We would move by life in everything we do;
All our concepts refute,
For Your life be absolute—
Grant us grace to turn much deeper day by day.
When we touch our spirit—such a thrill!
This is far beyond emotion, mind, and will—
It’s within our hidden part—
Come, make home in all our heart;
Let Your presence flow as rivers deep within.