Worship Beyond Language

Driving down the road a few weeks ago, I had the radio playing. On this particular day, a familiar song (‘Tu Nombre es Sobre Todo‘ by Gerry Márquez) began to play. I’d heard this song before, but this time something changed. Listening carefully, I found myself actually understanding nearly every word! (Granted, it helped that the song was relatively slow and simple…) And as I considered those words, their significance made sense in a whole new way.

Interested? I found the music video on YouTube, and beneath it you can read my own loose translation of the lyrics into English. (A very early effort, of course, but hopefully still beneficial… definitely more so than the video would be without translation, I suppose!)

Jesus, tu nombre es sobre todo
   Jesus, Your Name is above all
quien todo lo llenas en todo
   You are the One Who completes all things
Jesus, tu eres todo para mi
   Jesus, You are everything to me

Jesus, tu reinas sobre todo
   Jesus, You reign over all
eres altísimo sobre todo
   You are Most High over all
Jesus, tu eres todo para mi
   Jesus, You are everything to me

Tu estas sentado en el trono y me rindo ante Ti
   You are seated on the throne, and I submit myself to you
proclamaré tu nombre y yo me postraré ante Ti
   I will declare your Name, and before You I will bow

While I listened, small nuances from language study began to pop up in my mind. That word showed the permanence of Jesus’ position and glory. This one spoke of the close, personal relationship we have with Him. And that one made the singer’s statement more than a mere promise… instead changing it to a statement of what simply must be.

As I began to comprehend all these details, the song changed. It was no longer a simple collection of words discussing my Savior… it was a thing of beauty, striving from finite perspective to outline and glorify the Infinite One. The words unlocked for me an opportunity to stand anew in God’s presence, seeing His Name made great in a language I’d never before known.

Revelation 7 pictures people of every nation, tribe, people and language standing before the throne of Almighty God – declaring His glory and singing His praise. We’ve seen previews of that day before (Acts 2), yet nothing will compare to the real thing when that day arrives!

I can’t imagine what it will look like to see God glorified by millions of voices, speaking different languages yet remaining in perfect harmony. I find myself eagerly anticipating the chance to join that chorus! And what a privilege to know God is using us – you and I together! – to ensure that one more language is represented when that day finally comes.

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Thank God with us! Our coworkers, Don and Chrissy Chubb, just welcomed a healthy baby girl (Ruth) to their family yesterday! Amy is going great in language study after Joel’s birth, and making rapid progress. Elayne and Titus just had their 6th and 4th respective birthdays, and are doing wonderfully! Our good friends Hector and Amy Flores are finally able to head to missions training in Missouri! And yesterday night, Vicente (mentioned in earlier blog posts) married his fiancee, Erendira! We are excited to see what God will do through these two, brought together from different native peoples (Guarijio and Cora) to become one in Him.

Pray together with us! That our study of language and culture would continue, and that we would remain encouraged as we marathon through this learning process. That God would deepen the friendships we have, provide new relationships for us to pursue, and use both to grow us nearer to Him as well as in language ability. That He would help us faithfully teach our kids about Himself, and grant us wisdom in raising them.