Total Eclipse Of The Heart
Lesson One
There are many things that make me stop and think of God, His Word and His love. One of those things happens to be lyrics to songs. These songs were not written with the intent to praise God, but the words in the lyrics make me think about my relationship with Him and how He feels about me. Some songs make me feel like He is singing personally to me. Others make me feel like I am speaking to Him, either out of desperation and need of Him, or my love for Him.
The song, ‘Total Eclipse Of The Heart’ is not a duet, but as the singer sings, there is a voice that keeps responding, ‘Turn around’. That one little verse made me think of how God is there, where ever we are and no matter what we are going through, if we will just turn to Him we will make it through.
Let us read the lyrics of this song and my thoughts and questions alongside.
Total Eclipse of the Heart Lyrics written by Jim Steinman and sung by Bonnie Tyler
[Verse 1]
(Turn around)
Even before she sings a voice is saying to turn around
Every now and then, I get a little bit lonely
And you’re never coming ’round
Question; Do you ever feel lonely or neglected like the person in this song?
Can you think of people in the Bible who had felt this way?
Psalm 25:16-17 “Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. The troubles of my heart are enlarged; bring me out of my distresses.”
(Turn around) I hear God saying turn to Me.
Matthew 28:20 “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Every now and then, I get a little bit tired
Of listening to the sound of my tears
Question: Have you gotten tired of your situation and pain?
1 Samuel 30:4 Then David and the people who were with him lifted their voices and wept until there was no strength in them to weep.
(Turn around) Turn To Him. He will comfort you and give you strength.
Psalm 29:11 The Lord will give strength to His people; The Lord will bless His people with peace.
Every now and then, I get a little bit nervous
That the best of all the years have gone by
Question: Are you afraid that you have wasted your life?
1 Peter 1:17 ESV And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile,
(Turn around) Turn to Him and no matter how you lived before, your life still has purpose.
But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.
Every now and then, I get a little bit terrified
And then I see the look in your eyes
Question what terrifies you or causes you to have fear or anxiety?
In the world we live in it is easy to have things that can cause you to be stressed, worried, anxious, and terrified. I have a constant battle with all of these things myself. The good news is that I know that thes are things that God did not give to me, so I can still have hope.
2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
[Refrain]
(Turn around, bright eyes) Turn to Him and He will take care of your needs.
Psalm 22:26 The poor will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the LORD will praise him may your hearts live forever!
Psalm 146:7 He gives justice to the oppressed and food to the hungry. The LORD frees the prisoners.
Every now and then, I fall apart
(Turn around, bright eyes)
Every now and then, I fall apart
Question: Have you ever felt like you or your world has fallen apart?
I have more times than I can count, and I am even going through one of thos periods right now.
Question; So how do we get through these times?
[Verse 2]
(Turn around) We turn to HIm and trust Him.
Isaiah 41:10-13 fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. 11 Behold, all who are incensed against you shall be put to shame and confounded; those who strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish. 12 You shall seek those who contend with you, but you shall not find them; those who war against you shall be as nothing at all. 13 For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.”
Psalm 84:11-12 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, How blessed is the man who trusts in You!
Every now and then, I get a little bit restless
And I dream of something wild
Question: Do you ever get tired of where you are at?
Maybe you want to try to do something that might not be right for you because things might not feel like they are going in the direction you want them to.
(Turn around) Seek Him and pursue His direction for you even if for the moment you have to wait.
Jeremiah 29:11-13
11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare[b] and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.
Every now and then, I get a little bit helpless
And I’m lying like a child in your arms
(Turn around)
Every now and then, I get a little bit angry
And I know I’ve got to get out and cry
No matter how you may be feeling it is okay, it is even okay to feel angry. Feelings are not wrong, but we need to be careful with our emotions. It is so easy to lash out at others when we are in pain. If you do this, don’t beat yourself up, just make sure to apologize and let the other know you did not intend to hurt them. There is a saying that is very true, ‘Hurt people, hurt people’.
(Turn around) Take what you are feeling to God and He will help you. You may have to keep doing this, because emotions can come at you like waves of the ocean. That is okay because He will always be there for you, no matter how you may be feeling.
1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV No temptation(emotion/my personal thought) has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
Ephesians 4:26 ESV Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,
Ephesians 4:31 ESV Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.
Every now and then, I get a little bit terrified
But then I see the look in your eyes
[Refrain]
(Turn around, bright eyes)
Every now and then, I fall apart
(Turn around, bright eyes)
Every now and then, I fall apart
[Chorus]
And I need you now tonight
And I need you more than ever
And if you only hold me tight
We’ll be holding on forever
And we’ll only be making it right
‘Cause we’ll never be wrong
We need Him every moment of our lives. He will never leave you, and will hold you in the palm of His hand. He makes all things right. With Jesus you will never be wrong.
Together, we can take it to the end of the line
Together with Him, wlaking the path He has set before you and walks with you, you will make it to the end of the line.
Your love is like a shadow on me all of the time (All of the time)
He covers you with His love and is with you at all times.
I don’t know what to do and I’m always in the dark
Living in a world filled with darkness, we cannot always know what to do. So we turn to the One True Light and He will lead us through it.
We’re living in a powder keg and giving off sparks
I really need you tonight
Forever’s gonna start tonight
Forever’s gonna start tonight
Forever starts the moment we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
The Lesson continues.
Recap
The song, ‘Total Eclipse Of The Heart’ is not a duet, but as the singer sings, there is a voice that keeps responding, ‘Turn around’. That one little verse made me think of how God is there, where ever we are and no matter what we are going through, if we will just turn to Him we will make it through.
Let us continue to read the lyrics of this song and my thoughts and questions alongside.
[Post-Chorus]
Once upon a time, I was falling in love
But now I’m only falling apart
There’s nothing I can do
A total eclipse of the heart
You made the decision to follow Christ and accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Then the trials and tribulations of this life knock you down and you start looking at the problems more than you are focusing on Him. The problems become giants and mountains that you begin to circle.
Once upon a time, there was light in my life
But now there’s only love in the dark
Nothing I can say
A total eclipse of the heart
Now the mountains and giants block out His light and you don’t know what to do, and once again you feel lost and hopeless. You still know He loves you but all you can see is the darkness around you.
Question: What are the giants and mountains in your life that are eclipsing the Light of Jesus in your life?
Question: What do you do now / how do you defeat the giants and get over the moutnains?
[Interlude]
(Turn around, bright eyes) Turn to God and put your trust in Him
1 Samuel 17:44-46 David Slays Goliath
…44“Come here,” he called to David, “and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!” 45But David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand. This day I will strike you down, cut off your head, and give the carcasses of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the creatures of the earth. Then the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.…
(Turn around, bright eyes) Turn you eyes and see the goodness of God and have faith.
Psalm 27:13 NKJV I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living.
Matthew 17:20 NKJV 20 So Jesus said to them, “Because of your [a]unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.
[Verse 3]
(Turn around)
Every now and then, I know you’ll never be the boy
You always wanted to be
Every now and then it is easy for us to forget who we are in Christ and forget whose image we are being made into.
(Turn around)
But every now and then, I know you’ll always be the only boy
Who wanted me the way that I am
God not only knows who you are but has loved and wanted you before you even knew who He is.
(Turn around)
Every now and then, I know there’s no one in the universe
As magical and wondrous as you
There is no other God, He is both Creator and our Heavenly Father, and He is truly amazing.
(Turn around)
Every now and then, I know there’s nothing any better
There’s nothing that I just wouldn’t do
There is nothing better than Him, and He gave us something no other would ever do. He gave the life of His only Son so that we are not only forgiven, but we have eternal life through Jesus.
[Refrain]
(Turn around, bright eyes)
Every now and then, I fall apart
(Turn around, bright eyes)
Every now and then, I fall apart
So if you fall down, fall apart, or even get lost along the way. He is there to find you, pick you up, and put you back together.
[Chorus]
And I need you now tonight (And I need you)
And I need you more than ever
And if you only hold me tight (If you love me)
We’ll be holding on forever
And we’ll only be making it right (And we’ll never)
‘Cause we’ll never be wrong
Together, we can take it to the end of the line
Your love is like a shadow on me all of the time (All of the time)
I don’t know what to do, I’m always in the dark
We’re living in a powder keg and giving off sparks
I really need you tonight
Forever’s gonna start tonight
(Forever’s gonna start tonight)
[Post-Chorus]
Once upon a time, I was falling in love
But now I’m only falling apart
Nothing I can do
A total eclipse of the heart
Once upon a time, there was light in my life
But now there’s only love in the dark
Nothing I can say
A total eclipse of the heart
A total eclipse of the heart
A total eclipse of the heart
[Outro]
(Turn around, bright eyes)
(Turn around, bright eyes)
(Turn around)
(Ooh-ooh)
(Ah-ha, ah-ha)
(Ah-ha, ah-ha)
(Ooh-ooh)
Just like life the lyrics repeat, but the message and lesson remains the same. He will never leave you or reject you. If you fall down He is there to pick you up. If you feel broken and useless He will heal you and give you purpose. There is some things you will need to do, and that is turn to Him and give your life to Him. Love and follow Him. Listen to His voice and never be afraid of asking Him for help.
You may have noticed that I di not include as many scriptures in the second part of this lesson. The reason I did this is because your assignment is to share scriptures that the lyrics of this song inspired you to think of. Just my little way of encouraging you to seek Him in His Word.
Looking forward to reading the scriptures you have to share, and also share what inspires you.
God bless and prosper you and your loved ones.
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