A Domination of Lust or Love

I’ve found solace in coffee shop patios and solitude lately. My thoughts have been a bit of everywhere and it’s difficult to allow myself to just think and write and be when life’s chaos knocks at the front door. Lana Del Rey was my #1 Spotify Wrapped artist of the year for 2023, and she likely will be again. Her music has streamed through my headphones frequently. I don’t listen much to pop radio these days, but her music’s melancholic feel and poetic writing is soothing. One interlude, in particular, stood out to me a couple months ago. A charismatic, slightly aggressive voice suddenly overpowered the calming resonance of her voice. I heard scriptures and God mentioned, which I found surprising for a Lana album. I couldn’t quite understand the words, but was afraid it might be poetic blasphemy. Pop culture tends to find this sexy. I don’t. So, I skipped it. I did what all millennials do and did a quick Google research. I typed a few words.

“Judah Smith Interlude”

I was stunned. Lana Del Rey featured a pastor on her album? At that time, I had no idea he was a prestigious megachurch pastor. I didn’t even recognize the name. To my utter shock, the words spoke to me deeper than most of those in the Christian genre. Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about the idea of being “In love”, and how Love is a verb. I’ve prayed and been trying to make a conscious effort to “Exist in Love”, which is quite literally what it is to be “In love”. Being in love is not just a romantic butterfly. It is an action and a way of life. It’s being Love (And God is love) for what’s right in front of you and around you. The words to Judah Smith’s interlude mimic these thoughts in the most fascinating way. I couldn’t stop thinking about it. It was…powerful. I added it to a playlist and kind of laughed to myself,

“I didn’t expect a Lana Del Rey album to minister to me.”

And that’s the thing. God is indeed integrated and interwoven in strange ways; ways we don’t anticipate. So often we segregate a Sunday service or small group or daily devotion as the only culturally accepted ways to experience God. But omnipotence and omnipresence aren’t made for boxes. Beneath its Glory, boxes are ripped and crushed and enfolded and sometimes disposed. May our eyes be open to such splendor and surprise. The Judah Smith interlude stitched into Lana Del Rey’s blend of moody, retro songs is worth a pause. Keep reading below, and if you’re feeling edgy and audacious, search up “Judah Smith interlude” and give it a listen.

…Don't you understand what that means?

It means quit lusting after your neighbor

That's a heck of a life

You get to love your children in front of you

You get to love, you have to talk to somebody about a new life

I don't love my wife anymore, I don't love my kids anymore

Missin' out on life, they're usually my age

Does that sound like love?

It's a life dominated with lust…

…Help me love what's in front of me

Help me want more of my wife and more of my friends

And help me serve the city I live in

And not wish it away and hope I can move

Help me, God.