king of anything.

ok. before we get started, let's chat.  in this post, i am going to talk about a pop song and spiritual warfare.  as a writer, i am all about knowing what the writer/artist intended when they composed their song/poem/novel/painting.  i don't think you can make any piece of literature say what you want it to say.  if the writer wasn't trying to communicate something, he wouldn't have written anything.  even if it's nonsensical, stream-of-consciousness, the author chose the style and form to communicate something.  with that in mind, i am going to offer another interpretation/use of a song by sara bareilles.  sara, if you ever read this (not so likely, methinks), don't hate me.

   yesterday was a good day.  it was raining (weird for this time of year), and i was in a coffee shop listening to music, reading, and writing.  yeah, good day.  i was kind of searching for a new place to camp out reading wise.  so, i decided to go back to one of my favorite places.  romans 8.  i want to go through it in the next couple of weeks, a few verses at a time, and really dig deep.  it's such a rich passage.  as i was reading yesterday, i went back to the last few verses in romans 7 to get the context for the "therefore" in romans 8:1. here is that whole chunk:

 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.  Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.
 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  (Romans 7:21-8:1 ESV)

  i relate so well to this passage.  i want to do right, but i'm too weak.  what can i do?  who will help?  Jesus.  he has delivered me.  but, my flesh is still so weak.  daily, i am faced with new opportunities to fall.  to listen to lies that the enemy wants me to believe.  it was during this thought process, that "king of anything" by sara bareilles.  i know she wrote the song to a guy.  i know that she most likely didn't intend for another interpretation, but the song seems to be the perfect thing to shout at the enemy when he is trying to get us to abandon God's best for short-sighted, delusional, grasps at grandeur we call sin.  The really great thing about looking at this song is the irony and mockery directed at the enemy with the line "who died and made you king of anything?"  this line is such a slap in the face of the enemy because, in fact, One, who was already King of everything, died to ruin the enemy's chances of being king of anything and insure that the King of everything was forever glorified. 

Keep drinking coffee, stare me down across the table

While I look outside

So many things I’d say if only I were able

But I just keep quiet and count the cars that pass by

You’ve got opinions, man

We’re all entitled to ‘em, but I never asked

So let me thank you for your time, and try not to waste anymore of mine

And get out of here fast

I hate to break it to you babe, but I’m not drowning

There’s no one here to save

Who cares if you disagree?

You are not me

Who made you king of anything?

So you dare tell me who to be?

Who died and made you king of anything?

You sound so innocent, all full of good intent

Swear you know best

But you expect me to jump up on board with you

And ride off into your delusional sunset

I’m not the one who’s lost with no direction

But you’ll never see

You’re so busy making maps with my name on them in all caps

You got the talking down, just not the listening

And who cares if you disagree?

You are not me

Who made you king of anything?

So you dare tell me who to be?

Who died and made you king of anything?

All my life I’ve tried to make everybody happy

While I just hurt and hide

Waiting for someone to tell me it’s my turn to decide

Who cares if you disagree?

You are not me

Who made you king of anything?

So you dare tell me who to be?

Who died and made you king of anything?

Who cares if you disagree?

You are not me

Who made you king of anything?

So you dare tell me who to be?

Who died and made you king of anything?

Let me hold your crown, babe.