In 1985, a woman named Julie Gold wrote a song called, “From
a Distance.” This song was recorded by several artists but the most famous was
the version recorded by Bette Midler. The song went on to get the Grammy for
song of the year in 1991. Recently, the song popped up on my #TBT Spotify
playlist. It really is a beautiful song and I was reminded once again of how
talented Bette Midler is. Her voice is distinctive without being abrasive.
Anyway, as I listened to the song, I remember some of the “controversy”
the song caused by using the phrase, “God is watching us from a distance.”
Evangelicals got all up in arms saying that God is not just at a distance from
us. Yes, He’s watching but He’s with us. They claimed that the song was
perpetuating the hands-off approach of Godly rule. They claimed that it
undermined the goal of personal relationship with Jesus.
Why do people have to make such a big deal out of things?
Is it possible that there are so many other things that are
deserving of a stand over their interpretation of this song?
Let me give you a different perspective of the song. Being a
Christian most of life and being involved in the treating of addictions, I have
heard the Lord’s Prayer SO MANY TIMES. I also have several family members that
are Catholic so, of course, every wedding and funeral has multiple recitations
of it, though they don’t finish it. I mean, come on, “Thine is the power and
the glory forever and ever,” is kind of an important point.
Anyway, with that being said, it seems to me that From a Distance
just seems to echo the sentiment at the beginning of the Lord’s Prayer that
says, “Our Father, who art in heaven.” That seems like quite a distance to me.
But is it?
I’ve had the tremendous privilege to have Darril Deaton as
my pastor for many, many years. Whenever speaking about the Lord’s Prayer, he
states that the statement, “Our Father, who art in heaven…” is not about
location, it is about position. I don’t mean position in the cosmos or the
latitude and longitude of our position. No, I mean position as in the role we
play: our role as human as opposed to the role of God. We, humans, can’t be in
heaven right now, but God can. In fact, wherever God is, is heaven.* We don’t
make a location heaven just by our very presence. We can’t. But God can because
of who He is. So, my thinking is, when it comes to the song, that yes, God is
watching us from a distance—the distance between Creator and creation.
The distance between Physician and patient.
The distance between Father and child.
The distance between Savior and saved.
Ok, ok, I know the song is filled with imagery that is
focused on location-type distance, but I challenge you to read the lyrics from
the perspective of relational distance. For example, take the lyric, “From a
distance you look like my friend even though we are at war.” If you can distance
yourself from the conflict and just look at the person, do they not look like
your friend? If you distance yourself from the arguments and differences could
we not do as the scripture says in Romans 12:18, “If it is possible, as far as
it depends on you, live at peace with everyone?”
Oh man, now Wind Beneath Wings has just come up in my #TBT
playlist. I think Bette Midler had a thing for eagles.
* That’s biblical. I’m not just making it up. Read “Heaven”
by Randy Alcorn, if you doubt me.
