Meditate on the words to this thought-provoking song:
The Hammer Holds
Bebo Norman
A shapeless piece of steel:
That’s all I claim to be.
This hammer pounds to give me form,
This flame, it melts my dreams.
I glow with fire and fury
As I’m twisted like a vine
My final shape, my final form, I’m sure,
I’m bound to find
So dream a little, dream for me,
In hopes that I’ll remain.
And cry a little, cry for me
So I can bear the flames.
And hurt a little, hurt for me,
My future is untold.
My dreams are not the issue here,
For Thee, the hammer holds.
The water cools me gray,
And the hurt’s subdued somehow.
I have my shape, this sharpened point,
What is my purpose now?
The question, it still remains,
“What am I to be?”
Perhaps some perfect piece of art
Displayed for all to see.
So dream a little, dream for me,
In hopes that I’ll remain.
And cry a little, cry for me
So I can bear the flames.
And hurt a little, hurt for me,
My future is untold.
My dreams are not the issue here,
For Thee, the hammer holds.
The hammer pounds again,
The flames I do not feel.
This force that drives me helplessly
Through the flesh and wood revealed.
A burn that burns much deeper,
It’s more than I can stand,
The reason for my life was
To take the life of a guiltless man.
So dream a little, dream for me,
In hopes that I’ll remain.
And cry a little, cry for me
So I can bear the pain.
And hurt a little, hurt for me,
My future is so bold.
My dreams are not the issue here,
For Thee, the hammer holds.
This task before me may seem unclear,
But it, my Maker holds.
Do you hear the story here?
The narrative begins with the pain and stress
Of being shaped into the person that we are intended to be.
The story continues with idealism and hope;
There are dreams of greatness and glory –
Surely God will do great things with my life.
Then there is confusion over identity and purpose:
Who am I and what am I to do?
Finally there is disappointment –
Is this really what God intended for me?
Is this role that seems worse than ignoble to me
Really the purpose of my life?
Ultimately this song has us ask the questions
That we all have to ask ourselves eventually:
Do we trust God and his purposes?
Will we yield even when we don’t understand?
Will we go where he sends us?
Will we stay where he puts us?
Will we serve in the role that he gives us?
Will we seek God’s dream for our life?
May God give us the courage to trust him.
Blessings,
Ron
