About a week or so ago I had the opportunity to see one of my all time favorite bands, Death Cab for Cutie. It was a dream come true. Me and my friends were in the front row. It was euphoric.
Death Cab for Cutie has always been a really important band for me, which is kind of weird to say. They were one of the bands that broke me into the world of indie music. I started listening to them in the later half of middle school at suggestions of my best friend and also my two older brothers. They are a band I am very thankful for and finally getting to see them live was incredible.
At this point you are probably confused by the title of this article and the fact I just used my first one hundred words to rave about Death Cab for Cutie, but the strangest thing happened to me at this concert.
As I mentioned, I started listening the Death Cab for Cutie in middle school. As any overly emotional, pubescent, pre-teen, knows music is a great coping device. Death Cab for Cutie was one of those coping bands for me in some pretty emotional times during high school and middle school. Especially music from their album Plans.
One of the songs on that album, Brothers on a Hotel Bed, was one of the highlights of that show I saw last week. When they started playing, I was instantly filled with emotions and memories of times that I wish I didn't have to remember.
But I didn’t feel sorrow. I wasn’t even a little sad. I was filled with joy.
Instead of remembering the bad times, I remembered where I am now. I remembered all that the Lord has given me. I thought of the friends God has given me and the future He has planned for me.
A song from an album that so defined my past, reminded me of the opposite.
God can use crazy places and crazier situations to reveal himself. The Bible is full of examples of God finding people and using unique situations to speak to them.
I’m not saying that God approves of all situations, but He can use all situations.
One of my personal favorites is in Numbers 22.
If you know your Bible better than I do, or you were savvy and Googled "Numbers 22" to see what I am talking about, you might know what I am about to say.
This is the story of Balaam. Balaam was filled with wickedness and was not following the ways of God. Balaam was on the path the Lord did not want him on (literally in this situation.) He sent an angel to turn Balaam around, but he was so consumed in himself that he didn’t even notice.
Then his donkey stopped moving. Balaam beat this donkey. The donkey didn’t like that, so he spoke up. Verse 28 said the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey and him and Balaam had a nice little chat. This conversation gave Balaam the realization that there was an Angel of the Lord on the path and he spoke with him. Balaam ended up repenting and returned to the rest of the Israelites.
If the Lord can use the mouth of an animal to bring a man to praise and repentance, He can use anything. The Lord is redeeming us and helping us find new life everyday we live. He helps us find Him in the strangest of places. We cannot put God in a box and tell Him what he can and can't do.
Death Cab for Cutie is a secular band, but that joy I found from the moment at that concert brought me to prayer. I stopped singing along to the music and just thanked the Lord for all of the countless blessings he has given me. God can use a concert, a text, a hike in the woods, a train ride in the city, an encouraging word, the scripture and a donkey to teach us, because He has ultimate power over everything.
“There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!”
― Abraham Kuyper
