Whoah now… Interesting love you have there…

T/W – Song lyrics that might bring to mind emotions connected to past abuse

It occurs to me that there are some praise and worship songs out there that could be pretty terrifying to a survivor of domestic abuse from a “heavily religious” person.

Take this song¹, for instance. I’ve removed the first four lines. See what image this brings to mind:

I can’t outrun
This heart I’m tethered to
When every step
I collide with You

Like a tidal wave
Crashing over me
Rushing in to meet me here
Your love is fierce
Like a hurricane
That I can’t escape
Tearing through the atmosphere
Your love is fierce²

How many abuse victims have endured terror or agony, physical or emotional, and had it labelled “love”?

Verse 2 continues:

You don’t hold back
Relentless in pursuit
At every turn
I come face to face with You²

Now yes, I’ve withheld some very important and introductory lines from these lyrics. I’ll admit that. However… If all I have to do is remove four lines from a song about your God’s love to make it terrifying… What does that say about your God?

You surround me
You chase me down
You seek me out
How can I be lost when You have called me found

Now, I’m not saying that God is an abuser. I know a lot of people who would say so, but I’m not necessarily one of them. However, I think we need to be a little more careful than this with how we characterize our God.

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¹ Fierce by Jesus Culture

² The lyrics I took out do provide some safer color to the song…

From verse 1: Before I call
Before I ever cry
You answer me
From where the thunder hides

and

From verse 2: You cannot fail
The only thing I’ve found
Is through it all
You never let me down