‌a ghost story

I'd like to tell you a story
The story is 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 you want to know the best part?
It wasn't the rocks or the trees or the stars or the seas
No, 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
Rose 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, ʼĒl ʻElyōn
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 a bite of an apple, she and the man
Rejected communion and rejected God's plan
That's when the ghosts arrived, brazen and bold
Spawn of their father, that serpent of old
They were 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 that 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
And 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 or powerful or wise
How I can be charming in blind beggars' eyes
And it's 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, now 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 turn 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 that we ate 'till we died
By giving us passions that 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
And provided His mercy when 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 fists
At the Lord of the Galaxies because they knew best
On self-righteous people; more like self-righteous specks
Compared to the righteousness that God represents
Do you hear it? That's the trumpet
And it's screaming like a banshee
As all of Heaven's armies stand firm at the ready
Called to the mountains and called 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 40 days of hunger
He artfully thwarted the wiles of their master
So they flew to the ears of the pompous and proud
To the ears of the treasonous, troubled by doubt
30 pieces of silver was a high enough offer
For men seeking Truth to condemn Truth's very author

And 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 heard that 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 might lose battles but Christ won the war
I have more to rely on than positive thinking
Because His true will and True Word is enough for me to cling to

And that isn't all because Christ comes 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

So 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