Today I played the song “Twenty-four oceans” by Switchfoot again; a song that really resonates with me, being twenty-four, and also unfortunately recognising myself in the twenty-four failures mentioned in the song. But doesn’t everyone fail hundreds, if not thousands of times? Shared failure can be a consolation. So is this song – the writer says: “I’m not copping out, I’m not copping out / When you’re raising the dead in me.” I love those lyrics. I think Jon Foreman is referring to God here. God raises the dead in us, and uses the broken pieces of our lives for His glory, if only we let Him.

Somehow, I think the verses from Ephesians below fit this song as well. God’s power to raise the dead in us is huge, so we need not fear the twenty-four failures or four score more that we encounter in our lives: He can fix us.

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.” – Ephesians 1:18-21

To listen to the song: “Twenty-Four” by Switchfoot