Another long-time favorite of mine is Randy Stonehill; I still remember getting the chance to meet him and talk with him a bit in college (our Dean of the Chapel was an old friend of his, and he came out to do a chapel service and concert; I was on the setup/tear-down crew). I’ve been thinking about this song of his in particular for quite some time now, because it so powerfully expresses what I want my life to be, and in the midst of everything else, I’ve been hanging on to that for all I’m worth.
Every Heartbeat Is a PrayerMighty Father of creation, You who stand outside of time,
To Your beauty, no other can compare.
While I still cast a shadow in these precious days of grace,
Your countless tender mercies I’ll declare.
Perhaps it is the wisdom only weariness can bring,
But I’ve come to distinguish what is real from what it seems;
I’ve danced just like a dervish to the symphony of liars,
But Your voice of love rose above that desolation choir,
Desolation choir . . .Won’t You take me as Your child of light—
Break me if You must, I won’t despair—
‘Til every breath I breathe is a song of praise,
Every heartbeat is a prayer;
‘Til every breath I breathe is a song of praise,
Every heartbeat is a prayer.Oh, speak to me in the silence; come to me in my dreams;
Call me through the clutter of these days.
If I should turn to blindness, oh, let the church bells ring—
Pull me back before I fall away.
For I have stumbled down many a dark and crooked mile
Where seduction and destruction have dogged me all the while,
And the very things that I’ve embraced to medicate my pain
Turned out to be imposters and poison in my veins;
They were poison in my veins . . .ChorusFrom the day we are born to the day they close our eyes,
We are aching for belonging . . .ChorusWords and music: Randy Stonehill
© 1998 Stonehillian Music
From the album thirst, by Randy Stonehill