[Verse 1]

I'd like to tell you a story

The story is old and it's new

It's about ghosts and ghouls

Desperation and doom and darkening gloom

And conquering good and redemption that's sure

It's about me and it's about you

Most importantly, it's about a Savior who makes broken things new

And I'll tell you a secret: this story is true

So find a place to get comfortable, and I'll share it with you

[Verse 2]

This story started in a garden that was haunted by grace

Lovingly formed by the Ancient of Days

From eon to eon, it exalted the Sovereign

Who reigned as benevolent ruler and author

The rocks would exclaim, the willows cry out

The stars would proclaim and the mountains would shout

And by the coast, you could hear oceans roaring

That Yahweh is worthy of honor and glory

But you want to know the best part?

It wasn't the rocks or the trees or the stars or the seas

No, it was His magnum opus: His image-bearers

God bent down to the Earth and created His bride

From dust from the ground and a bone from man's side

Arose Adam and Eve as they walked with God Himself—what a shock!

Here was the Sovereign of all as the Imminent One

He was Yahweh-Shammah and at once, ʼĒl ʻElyōn

Eternally peerless, forever transcendent

But our first parents could stand in God's presence

Haunted by holiness, haunted by grace

As they walked in the garden in the light of God's face

And everything was good; very good, in fact

Until one day the couple received a visitor

An apparition, if you will, fallen from Heaven itself

[Verse 3]

The wraith of all wraiths slithered up to the woman

And convinced her that ultimately, she was missing something

And with a bite of an apple, she and the man

Rejected communion and rejected God's plan

And that's when the ghosts arrived, brazen and bold

Spawn of their father, that serpent of old

They were sired and raised by the lies that he told

And our first parents took the bait that day

It was insidious sin that killed them within

Scoffing at truth that was given to them

And believing that lie that deceives you and I

"Forget God and the garden, His presence and light

Because I like it better when I do what I want

When I leave God behind to follow my own heart

Who cares if my real God's my belly?

And who cares if I chase after suitors that wither away?"

And these ghosts, they have a point when they surface and say

"Who said you need dead words to show you the way?

Come follow your heart, trust in your feelings

Comfort on Earth is your best hope of healing

Why look for a truth when there's no truth to find?

Why live as a pilgrim? You've got all the time

In the world to be healthy and happy and wise"

Said the ghosts, said the whispers in the corners of their minds

[Verse 4]

I'm the narrator, for crying out loud, and even I

Have been guilty of exchanging God's truth for a lie

I've clung to the ghosts to show me the way

When it comes to the things that I love or I hate

Or how I can be popular or powerful or wise

How I can be charming in blind beggars' eyes

And it's not just the ghosts, but my own desires

Are how I can be duped into believing these liars

In my flesh, in the depths of my soul I'm opposed

To the Spirit and everything precious He holds

And what a horror—now I need them, I want them to speak

The clamor inside gives me sickening peace

The louder they get, the more I'm distracted

From the loss, from the suffering I try and push back

To the edge of my mind, anything to escape

A heartfelt encounter of conviction or grace

I'd rather anesthetize sanctified fear

And fall asleep to the voices that scream in my ear

[Verse 5]

And the ghosts would continue accosting God's children

As our thoughts underneath turn depravedly wicked

The Law would cry out, and the prophets would plead

But we stiffened our necks and refused to concede

So a cadaverous pallor hung over our hearts

As our minds went insane and our eyes became dark

And God, brokenhearted by His adulterous bride

Loved her enough to fulfill her desires

By giving us manna that we ate 'til we died

By giving us passions that we relished in pride

By giving us over to debasement of mind

Never tempting, ever patient, ever loving and kind

He was slow to His anger, but not compromising

He provided His mercy, but His people had tried it

Haunted by holiness, haunted by grace

God had no choice but to pour out His rage

On rebellious men who had shaken their fists

At the Lord of the Galaxies because they knew best

On self-righteous people; more like self-righteous specks

Compared to the righteousness that God represents

Do you hear it? That's the trumpet—and it's screaming like a banshee

As all of Heaven's armies stand firm at the ready

Call to the mountains, and call to the cliffs

Before holy justice plummets onto your sin

[Verse 6]

But Heaven is silent

Because from the very beginning, none of this was a surprise to God

He knew of the ghosts, He knew of the lies

He knew of the sin that would kill us inside

So from Adam to Noah, from Abraham to Moses, from David to Joseph

He had laid a plan

How would He expel the lies?

The Truth

But we call the Truth another name

We call Him Jesus

[Verse 7]

The Son of Man, the Word become flesh

Came to live among those doomed by death

He claimed to be a temple, and heavenly food

Saying "I am the Way, and the Life, and the Truth"

Now this sort of talk doesn't make friends with ghosts

They only hated His people because they hated Him most

They writhed in dismay when after 40 days of hunger

He artfully thwarted the wiles of their master

So they flew to the ears of the pompous and proud

To the ears of the treasonous, troubled by doubt

30 pieces of silver was a high enough offer

For men seeking Truth to condemn Truth's very author

And so it was that on a cross, straining to breathe

Hung the bloodstained Hero that you and I need

Haunted by holiness, haunted by grace

Christ gave His life while God averted His gaze

[Verse 8]

The ghosts cackled with glee; they heard that it was done

But what "It is finished" meant was not that they had won

No, in giving His life, Christ gave us ours

And as He rose three days later, he also gave us power

In His triumph over death, temptation, and sin

He gave His children the strength to resist the ghosts within

He restored us to God and atoned for our souls

He sent us the Holy Ghost that convicts and consoles

I know times will be hard, there'll be days I fall short

I may lose battles, but Christ won the war

I have more to rely on than "positive thinking"

Because His true will and True Word is enough for me to cling to

And that isn't all because Christ's coming again

To renew what is broken by deception and sin

The ghosts will dissolve, along with their lies

As the faithful and true King of Kings claims His bride

So this story ends in a garden that's haunted by grace

As God's people rejoice in the light of His face

They're free from the ghosts and forgiven of sin

Forever and always, amen and amen

[Verse 9]

The end, that's the story. Thanks for your time

I hope that in light of all these things you see why

I was burdened to tell you so much about our minds

'Cause I believe Scripture's true, forget all the lies

That approach you so meekly like sheep in disguise

My heart is rekindled, now my mind is restored

My life is a Holy Ghost story now, and in Christ, so is yours

The war has been won, but the battle remains

We live in a world full of chaos and pain

But how will we find the courage to fight?

Well that, my friend, is a story for another time