Life Itself

Before the break of dawnMy heart cries out to YouWhere I’m surrounded by my nightHere all my weaknesses will wait upon Your mercyThe hope of dawn from black to whiteFrom black to whiteI love You more than life itselfLord, You are so good to meI need You more with every breathSo won’t You breathe some life in meWon’t You breathe some life in meAwakening the dawn, with all my heartI sing to YouYou are the reaSon that I liveUnder me, over, all around I know You’re with meNever condemning: You forgiveNo matter where I goNo matter where I standYour Spirit always speaks to meAnd tells me whose I amWith every breath I takeAnd every choice I makeMy heart will always sing to YouBehind the Song:"On a hot summer night in Georgia, just after I graduated college, I was lying awake at 4 a.m. and regretting decisions I’d made the day before. I don’t remember what it was specifically that was keeping me awake that night, I just remember knowing it was wrong and being sick about it. I repented, begging God for His forgiveness and redemption, and declaring my intent to change my ways. I knew I was free, and that He gave me that forgiveness immediately, because I John 1:9 says that “if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just, and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” However, I still had to live with myself … wretched man that I am! I also read in the Bible that His mercies are new every morning, and that “weeping may last for a night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning.” So as I lay there looking out my window—longing for a red line on the horizon, a bird singing, the faintest glimmer of a brand new day—I wrote this song. As the sun finally rose, I was reminded of God’s consistent goodness, His ever-present help in times of need. Most of all, I felt a sense of belonging. It’s not who I am that gives me confidence and hope, it’s Whose I am." - Aaron Shust