The story within the song is sometimes laid all out with no need for reading between the lines for the listener. Matthew West’s “Next Thing You Know
” is one of them and in so doing, it provides a wonderful illustration of God’s work in our lives. In the first verse, West shares the details of his age thirteen-year-old self seeing Billy Graham on television and being moved to the point where his mother was able to see an opportunity for leading him to know Christ.
The conversion and acceptance of Christ evoked a great feeling, one in which he is able to celebrate knowing he is a new creation. That feeling carries him until a point when the demands of life start to pull him from his relationship with God. That feeling had perhaps worn off and felt distant as a result.
It happens to us all. In the ups and downs of life, our walks endure various seasons. It often, as West sings, requires submitting again and a committing again to that relationship.
The chorus of the song reminds us all of those hours we first believed. It’s a feeling that’s difficult to explain to anyone who hasn’t experienced such grace.
Next thing you know I’m high and flyin’
Next thing you know
My heart is in your hands
Next thing you know
There’s no denyin’
Next thing you know I’m a brand new man
Finally, the song moves into a vision that West shares about heaven and the day he is fully among other believers – those who have had those similar experiences – where describing that feeling is a mutual emotion.
As West sings, “And as I listen it occurs to me / Everybody’s got their own thirteen.”
The final words of Next Thing You Know ask a wonderful question – and the line actually is one of the main inspirations for the name of this blog and the vision of what it may become.
What’s Your Story About God’s Glory?
Photo Credit: Michele Ficara Manganelli via Compfight cc
So, what’s your story about His glory?
For me, my story in short would go something like this:
Lost at age seventeen, I nearly died.
A year later, on the shore of the lake,
I’m received a new life and was finally awake.
Led by the love of my friends
Who rescued me – from a damning end.
What about you? What’s your story of his glory?
… Find your place in the history of grace.
I would love for you to share your story in brief here.