Have you ever heard of Sam Phillips? Probably not.
How about Elvis Presley? Of course you have. He’s the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. But without Sam Philips, Elvis would never have gotten his big break. Philips grew up obsessed with recording technology. He believed that the human voice was God’s greatest creation. And he wanted to preserve it as much as he could. So he started recording everything he could – funerals, weddings and eventually bands. But his passion didn’t pay off immediately. In fact, it was the other way around. After suffering a mental breakdown, he was about to turn his microphones off for good. And that’s when Elvis walked into his studio. The rest is history…
I know that the road of Christian life is full of ups and downs. And sometimes it can feel like God’s got you in a holding pattern. Do you remember the Apostle Paul? Many consider him to be one of the most successful church planters in history. Famously, Paul admitted that he faced adversity in his own way, writing about the “thorn in his side” that the Lord would not take away. He knew he wasn’t perfect, but he didn’t let that slow him down. He didn’t give up. Instead, he pressed on, writing: "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:12-14 NIV).
No matter where we are on our walk with our Lord, we know that Christ has promised to never forsake us. He has taken hold of us at the very root of our being. Because of his grip on me, I take hold of him and count on him to blaze the trail for me, to lead me all the way. He is faithful to walk beside us, one step at a time, or in Sam Phillips’s case – one record at a time – to complete his great purpose. All we need to do is never stop listening.
I’m Joseph Tkach, Speaking of LIFE.
