I'm so ashamed that I haven't written about this concert yet . . . but, better late than never, right? On March 8th and 9th I got to go to two of the best concerts I'd ever been to! It was the BYU-Idaho Collegiate Singers combined with the BYU Singers! Holy wow! I went to both of them (yes, I'm that cool) and both had such powerful spirits! Collegiate is getting ready to go to Africa at the end of the semester and so there were a lot of African spirituals which were done incredibly well! It was so enjoyable watching Collegiate up there dancing and getting into the music! Both concerts can be found here: March 8, 2013 and March 9, 2013. There is one song, though, that touches me every single time the Collegiate Singers sing it. It's called "I Will Rise" (this particular arrangement is by Alex Boye, but the choral part is the same). The message and words to this song are absolutely amazing!!! The words go like this:
"There's a peace I've come to know
Though my heart and flesh may fail
There's an anchor for my soul
I can say "It is well"
Jesus has overcome
And the grave is overwhelmed
The victory is won
He is risen from the dead
[Chorus:]
And I will rise when He calls my name
No more sorrow, no more pain
I will rise on eagles' wings
Before my God fall on my knees
And rise
I will rise
There's a day that's drawing near
When this darkness breaks to light
And the shadows disappear
And my faith shall be my eyes
Jesus has overcome
And the grave is overwhelmed
The victory is won
He is risen from the dead
[Chorus:]
And I will rise when He calls my name
No more sorrow, no more pain
I will rise on eagles' wings
Before my God fall on my knees
And rise
I will rise
And I hear the voice of many angels sing,
"Worthy is the Lamb"
And I hear the cry of every longing heart,
"Worthy is the Lamb"
[Chorus:]
And I will rise when He calls my name
No more sorrow, no more pain
I will rise on eagles' wings
Before my God fall on my knees
And rise
I will rise"
If you want to listen to the Collegiate Singers sing it (which I highly recommend; you get to hear three phenomenal soloists) it's at the very end of the concerts. They did them as their encore pieces and it was powerful! That song has been my favorite ever since I heard them sing it earlier this semester. My favorite part is: "Jesus has overcome, and the grave is overwhelmed. The victory is won, He is risen from the dead! And I will rise when He calls my name, no more sorrow, no more pain."
There are several reasons why I like this song: one, it testifies of Christ rising again. It testifies that Christ lives, now! The second is that it testifies that I will rise! I will rise; I won't feel any more pain or sorrow. The third reason, it's a call for me to rise. To stand as a witness of God "at all times, in all things, and in all places." (Mosiah 18:9) I don't know when God is going to call my name, so I must be ready to rise at any time. The fourth reason I love this song so much is because it testifies to me that Christ cares for and is constant. The first four lines, I feel, states it best: "There's a peace I've come to know; though my heart and flesh may fail. There's an anchor for my soul, I can say "All is well!" This line states that my heart and flesh might fail; the reasoning is because I am human. God is not human; He is God! He is the anchor for my soul. Because I know He is always there for me, no matter what I'm going through I know that He is there; I can say "All is well!"
*Random thought: if God is my anchor, then I will not and cannot drift or stray because of worldly things. That anchor keeps me in the same spot. True, I might be tossed to and fro, but I will not be moved! So cool!!! Maybe that's why it's so important to have our anchor be God, who is stable and unchanging. Humans aren't stable (no offense) and we change with the seasons, the fads, the people. "God is no respecter of persons." (Acts 10:34)
Brother Brower told the Men's Choir that these two concerts would be "life changing"; he was right! I know that I have changed, my testimony has been strengthened, and I am excited to accept the invitation to rise when God calls my name! To my wonderful Collegiate family who was so willing to share their beautiful and powerful testimonies with me, I thank you! Thank you for being an example to me of somebody who has stepped forward when Christ has called your name! You are all wonderful, beautiful, and inspiring people (the same goes for the BYU Singers, but I don't really know them as well)! Again, I thank you for changing my life for the better! :)
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