a ghost story Lyrics

I'd like to tell you a story

The story's old and it's new

It's about ghosts and ghouls

Desperation and doom

And darkening gloom

And conquering good

And redemption that's sure

It's about me and it's about you

Most importantly it's about a Savior who makes broken things new

And I'll tell you a secret- this story is true

So find a place to get comfortable and I'll share it with you

This story started in a garden that was haunted by grace

Lovingly formed by the Ancient of Days

From eon to eon it exalted the Sovereign

Who reigned as benevolent ruler and Author

The rocks would exclaim the willows cry out

The stars would proclaim and the mountains would shout

And by the coast you could hear oceans roaring

That Yahweh is worthy of honor and glory

But do you want to know the best part

It wasn't the rocks or the trees

Or the stars or the seas

It was His magnum opus- His image bearers

God bent down to the earth and created His bride

From dust from the ground and a bone from man's side

Arose Adam and Eve as they walked with God Himself- what a shock

Here was the Sovereign of all as the Imminent One

He was Yahweh Shammah and at once El Elyon

Eternally peerless forever transcendent

But our first parents could stand in God's presence

Haunted by holiness haunted by grace

As they walked in the garden in the light of God's face

And everything was good. Very good in fact

Until one day the couple received a visitor

An apparition if you will fallen from Heaven itself

The wraith of all wraiths slithered up to the woman

And convinced her that ultimately she was missing something

And with the bite of an apple she and the man

Rejected communion and rejected God's plan

And that's when the ghosts arrived brazen and bold

Spawn of their father that serpent of old

Sired and raised by the lies that he told

And our first parents took the bait that day

It was insidious sin that killed them within

Scoffing at truth that was given to them

And believing the lie that deceives you and I

"Forget God and the garden His presence and light

Because I like it better when I do what I want

When I leave God behind to follow my own heart

Who cares if my real god's my belly? And who cares

If I chase after suitors that wither away

And these ghosts? They have a point when they surface and say

Who said you need dead words to show you the way

Come follow your heart. Trust in your feelings

Comfort on earth is your best hope of healing

Why look for a truth when there's no truth to find

Why live as a pilgrim you've got all the time

In the world to be healthy and happy and wise

Said the ghosts said the whispers in the corners of their minds

I'm the narrator for crying out loud even I

Have been guilty of exchanging God's truth for a lie

I've clung to the ghosts to show me the way

When it comes to the things that I love or I hate or

How I can be popular powerful wise

How I can be charming in blind beggars' eyes

And not just the ghosts but my own desires

Are how I can be duped into believing these liars

In my flesh in the depths of my soul I'm opposed

To the Spirit and everything precious He holds

And what a horror- now I need them. I want them to speak

The clamor inside gives me sickening peace

The louder they get the more I'm distracted

From the loss from the suffering I try to push back

To the edge of my mind- anything to escape

A heartfelt encounter of conviction or grace

I'd rather anesthetize sanctified fear

And fall asleep to the voices that scream in my ear

And the ghosts would continue accosting God's children

As our thoughts underneath turned depravedly wicked

The Law would cry out and the prophets would plead

But we stiffened our necks and refused to concede

So a cadaverous pallor hung over our hearts

As our minds went insane and our eyes became dark

And God brokenhearted by His adulterous bride

Loved her enough to fulfill her desires

By giving us manna we ate till we died

By giving us passions we relished in pride

By giving us over to debasement of mind

Never tempting ever patient ever loving and kind

He was slow to His anger but not compromising

He'd provided His mercy but His people had tried it

Haunted by holiness haunted by grace

God had no choice but to pour out His rage

On rebellious men who had shaken their fist

At the Lord of the galaxies because they knew best

On self-righteous people- more like self-righteous specks

Compared to the righteousness God represents

Do you hear it? That's the trumpet and it's screaming like a banshee

As all heaven's armies stand firm at the ready

Call to the mountains call to the cliffs

Before holy justice plummets onto your sin

But heaven is silent. Because from the very beginning none of this was a surprise to God

He knew of the ghosts. He knew of the lies

He knew of the sin that would kill us inside

So from Adam to Noah

From Abraham to Moses

From David to Joseph He had laid a plan

How would He expel the lies? The truth

But we call the truth another name

We call Him Jesus

The Son of Man the Word become flesh

Came to live among those doomed by death

He claimed to be a temple and heavenly food

Saying I am the way and the life and the Truth

Now this sort of talk doesn't make friends with ghosts

They only hated His people because they hated Him most

They writhed in dismay when after forty days of hunger

He artfully thwarted the wiles of their master

So they flew to the ears of the pompous and proud

And the ears of the treasonous troubled by doubt

Thirty pieces of silver was a high enough offer

For men seeking truth to condemn truth's own Author

So it was that on a cross straining to breathe

Hung the bloodstained Hero that you and I need

Haunted by holiness haunted by grace

Christ gave His life while God averted His gaze

The ghosts cackled with glee. They had heard it was done

But what "It is finished" meant was not that they had won

No. In giving His life Christ gave us ours

And as He rose three days later He also gave us power

In His triumph over death temptation and sin

He gave His children the strength to resist the ghosts within

He restored us to God and atoned for our souls

He sent us the Holy Ghost that convicts and consoles

I know times will be hard. There'll be days I fall short

I may lose battles but Christ won the war

I have more to rely on than positive thinking because

His sure will and true Word is enough to cling to

And that isn't all- cause Christ's coming again

To renew what is broken by deception and sin

The ghosts will dissolve along with their lies

As the Faithful and True King of Kings claims His bride

This story ends in a garden that's haunted by grace

As God's people rejoice in the light of His face

They're free from the ghosts and forgiven of sin

Forever and always amen and amen

The end. That's the story. Thanks for your time

I hope that in light of all these things you see why

I was burdened to tell you so much about our minds

Because I believe Scripture's true. Forget all the lies

That approach you so meekly like sheep in disguise

My heart is rekindled now my mind is restored

My life is a Holy Ghost story now. And in Christ so is yours

The war has been won but the battle remains

We live in a world full of chaos and pain

But how will we find the courage to fight

Well that my friend is a story for another time