Lord, Won't You Buy Me a Mercedes Benz?

October 28, 2019

I love sharing some of the quirky ways God speaks to me. Lately it has been through songs, not hymns, like you might expect, but pop songs. The month started with me waking up to the song Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond repeating over and over in my head. I hadn't heard this song for a long time, but the melody wouldn't leave. So I looked it up.

"Sweet Caroline"

By Neil Diamond

Where it began

I can't begin to knowin'

But then I know it's growin' strong

Was in the spring

And spring became the summer

Who'd have believed you'd come along

Hands, touchin' hands

Reachin' out, touchin' me, touchin' you

Sweet Caroline

Good times never seemed so good

I've been inclined

To believe they never would

But now I...

...look at the night

And it don't seem so lonely

We fill it up with only two

And when I hurt

Hurtin' runs off my shoulders

How can I hurt when holdin' you?

Warm, touchin' warm

Reachin' out, touchin' me, touchin' you

Sweet Caroline

Good times never seemed so good

I've been inclined

To believe they never would

Oh, no, no

Sweet Caroline

Good times never seemed so good

Sweet Caroline

I believed they never could

Sweet Caroline

Good times never seemed so good...

From <https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/neildiamond/sweetcaroline.html>

I began talking to God about this song and what He was wanting me to know. Caroline means "Song of Happiness", "Joy", and "free man". Sweet happiness, joy and freedom-that is a good start! What I felt this song was saying to me was better times are coming but you won't be able to look back and say, "This is when it happened". As you grow in God's grace, favor and revelation of the word, life will just keep getting better and better; better than you ever thought it could. Reach out and touch the Lord, abide in Him, as He is abiding in you. Give Him your worries, hurts and fears, let Him take them off your shoulders. As you surrender them sweet happiness, joy and freedom will increase for you. As I continued to pray about this, I remembered another song by the Gathers: Sweeter as The Days Go by,

About a week later, I woke up to the first line of the song by Janice Joplin, "Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz?" I was bugging me-a lot! I mean that is not a very "godly" thing to be thinking about. I don't even want a Mercedes Benz! It was so out of the norm for me, I talked to Steve about it. After he finished laughing and singing the song, he looked at me and said "Look it up. What's it mean?"

My response "Well duh, Jodee. You write about the ways God speaks, why didn't you think of that?" I didn't recognize this as a message from God. Really, Janice Joplin and a fun but disrespectful song about greed? I realized was limiting God on how He would speak to me. I was so wrong, there was a big message for me there (you too).

Turns out Mercedes means mercies, from the Latin word merces meaning wages, reward, favor, and pity. Benz means blessing.

Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz? He already has! Mercy, favor and blessings were paid for at the cross. When Jesus shed His blood, He made righteousness available to all mankind, and with it came the favor of God! As a child God, I don't need to beg for His mercy and favor, it is mine through Christ. I just receive it by faith.

“Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17, KJV) As the word of God came to me through this song, my faith to receive increased. There are some specific areas I need favor in and wasn't confident that I would receive it. This line was a spoken word of God given to me from the Holy Spirit-backed up by the written word-the bible. (Every time God speaks to you, He will back it up with scripture.)

So now when I hear that line repeating in my head, I know the Lord is saying favor and blessing are mine. He has already bought me a Mercedes Benz! He's bought you one too. Reach out to Him and receive yours also! A blood bought Mercedes Benz full of mercy, rewards, favor and blessings is pulling in your driveway today!

How has God been speaking to you lately? I'd love if you would share and help expand our capacity to receive the many ways God speaks.