You Won’t Relent
A few months ago while having a bit of a Kim Edwards binge, I stumbled upon the song “You Won’t Relent,” a sort of duet between her and Chris Quilala. I liked it, listened to it and watched the youtube video several times, but only really took it at face value. I heard the overall message of the song, which seemed to be relatively the same as other contemporary Christian tracks, but mostly enjoyed it because I just really like Kim Edward’s voice. Then, today, I was sitting down with a late breakfast and listening to a playlist I’d just made on Grooveshark, when I heard a song I didn’t quite recognize. My face crumpled into a look of confusion waiting to figure out what the mystery song on the playlist I had personally created no less than fifteen minutes ago was. Soon enough I realized it was “You Won’t Relent,” but this version was a bit different from what I had been accustomed too, although on second thought, I now realize it was exactly the same. See, the youtube video starts out really loud with tons of instruments beating out a rhythm at the same time. Another characteristic to a majority of contemporary Christian music. Eventually the video gets quiter and the main riff to the song begins. The difference between the video and the song on my playlist was that it started with the quiet. It’s amazing how a moment of quiet can really let us think. This time, more than ever before, I heard the lyrics. “You won’t relent until you have it all/my heart is yours” I think just then, for the first time, I realized how much of a fighter God is for us. This summer has been weird for me, in fact, the whole year has been. A lot of things happened but the one thing that basically stopped was my walk with God. I grew quite complacent. I moved my focus to other places, a pattern you’re quite used to hearing about if you read my tumblr. The fact of the matter is, while I was doing all the things I wanted to do, all the things I thought I’d get some sort of joy out of, I was sincerely unhappy. I wasn’t with God anymore, and where there is no God there is no peace. But, this song, the lyrics, let me think, let me realize that He won’t relent until I’m all His. He won’t give up the fight until it’s all over. No matter how many times we turn away, say no, decide on something or someone else, He won’t relent. Can you imagine a God who doesn’t relelnt? A God who wants us so badly that He’ll take all the punches, He’ll take our denial, and frankly, take all of our bullshit until we’re His? A God who will not let “death or life, angels or demons, the present or the future, or any powers, or the height or depth, or anything else in all creation to separate us from His love.” [Romans 8:38-39] He knows what we’re fighting against, He knows it’s hard, He knows it all, but He’s not going to let us fall. He won’t relent.
