What If I Stumble? 28 May 2008
Posted by Renette in DCTalk, What If I Stumble (DCTalk).add a comment
WHAT IF I STUMBLE has always been one of my favorite songs, from one of my favorite groups, DC Talk. The lyrics are heartfelt and searing, the melody is haunting, the blending of Toby Mac, Michael Tait and Kevin Max’s voices is just outstanding.
It sums up the fear a Christian faces in falling flat in the face by doing something wrong for the whole world to see. It is a very honest admission about the struggle every Christian faces in doing what’s right, and doing what’s not right, but feels right. “What if I stumble? What if I fall?” it keeps on asking. “What if I lose my step and I make fools of us all?” Note that it doesn’t say: What if I lose my step and I make a fool of MYSELF? It accepts that one wrong move can dishonor the Name of God and of the church and of all other Christians. Such a tall order for an imperfect, work-in-progress human being.
The song begins with a quotation from Brennan Manning, a controversial Catholic author and speaker, which is sadly true today: “The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips then walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.”
Is this one for the people? Is this one for the Lord?
Or do I simply serenade for things I must afford?
You can jumble them together, my conflict still remains
Holiness is calling, in the midst of courting fame
Cause I see the trust in their eyes
Though the sky is falling
They need Your love in their lives
Compromise is calling
What if I stumble, what if I fall?
What if I lose my step and I make fools of us all?
Will the love continue when my walk becomes a crawl?
What if I stumble, and what if I fall?
What if I stumble, what if I fall?
You never turn in the heat of it all
What if I stumble, what if I fall?
Father, please forgive me for I cannot compose
The fear that lives within me or the rate at which it grows
If struggle has a purpose on the narrow road You’ve carved
Why do I dread my trespasses will leave a deadly scar?
Do they see the fear in my eyes?
Are they so revealing?
This time I cannot disguise
All the doubt I’m feeling
What if I stumble, what if I fall?
What if I lose my step and I make fools of us all?
Will the love continue when my walk becomes a crawl?
What if I stumble, and what if I fall?
Everyone’s got to crawl when you know that
You’re up against a wall, it’s about to fall
Everyone’s got to crawl when you know that
I hear You whispering my name
You say, “My love for You will never change”
Never change
What if I stumble, what if I fall?
You never turn in the heat of it all
What if I stumble, what if I fall?
You are my comfort, and my God
Is this one for the people? Is this one for the Lord?
