blessings
My sister heard this song on the radio last week and told me that I had to listen to it. You have to listen to it too. The words made me cry. SO good.
Blessings
-Laura Story
We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things
'Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if the thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise
We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
As long as we have faith to believe
When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy
What if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise
The words to this song really spoke to me as I often struggle with that word "blessing". We prayed and prayed for Cora's healing and then when she died wondered if God had heard our cries. And not only did we wonder if He had heard our cries but also the cries of many others who were so faithfully praying along with us. We were begging the Lord to heal our daughter and yet Cora was not healed her on earth. Where was the blessing in that? Cora's death felt like a curse not a blessing. And again this week as I hear about the suffering and heartache going on around the world I wonder how God can be working amidst such huge tragedy.
Are God's ways so hard to understand? Yes. Do I still have so many questions? Yes. But I am reminded that I serve a God who loves me way too much to give me lesser things. He always gives me exactly what I need. He gives me the best. I may not understand His ways, but He has given me so many promises in His Word and I have to choose to trust Him.
Life is full of disappointments. But one thing we can be sure of is that when we put our hope in the Lord we will not be disappointed. What an amazing promise. The disappointment and pain are reminders that this world can't satisfy us. It reminds this heart that this is not our home.
Are God's ways so hard to understand? Yes. Do I still have so many questions? Yes. But I am reminded that I serve a God who loves me way too much to give me lesser things. He always gives me exactly what I need. He gives me the best. I may not understand His ways, but He has given me so many promises in His Word and I have to choose to trust Him.
Life is full of disappointments. But one thing we can be sure of is that when we put our hope in the Lord we will not be disappointed. What an amazing promise. The disappointment and pain are reminders that this world can't satisfy us. It reminds this heart that this is not our home.
Those who hope in me will not be disappointed.
Isaiah 49:23
posted by the mcclenahans @ 10:28 PM
28 Comments:
This is a wonderful song! I actually just posted it on my blog today too!
Jess, this song IS amazing. Thank you for sharing. its exactly what I needed. Thank you, Jesus!
I also found this song last week. Bawled my way to work while it played on the radio. Had to post it right away! I lost 2 babies in pregnancy (I'm now 9 months pregnant!), my nephew suffers from SMA, a genetic disorder, and my great uncle passed away last week. This song really spoke to me, and I know it will speak to many who hear it!
Love this song! Love the post!
This is beautiful - the song, but especially YOUR words. Thank you for the inspiration and encouragement, Jess. You are such an amazing woman of God and I pray that the Lord continues to weave his blessings into every day of your life.
This song is a great reminder of how Gods goodness never changes and how His purpose and ways transend ours.
Deut. 23:5b says "but the LORD your God turned the curse into a blessing for you because the LORD your God loves you."
I too lost a baby girl in 2008. She would have been 3 in January. Some days it is hard to see God's blessing... but most days I am reminded of His love and awesome power through what He has chosen to do through our baby girls short life.
the faith you demonstrate on your blog amazes me. You show such strength and love ~ a true example of what we all should strive for. I don't know that I could stay so loving and understanding of God or circumstance if I had to endure what you and Joel did. Thank you for blogging.
Jess,
I heard this song Monday night and YOU were the first person who came to my mind! You have used your tragedy to be a blessing to so many others by revealing the "blessings" you have received through God during such a time of suffering.
I typed this out yesterday (with the YouTube video) to post on my Sunday "A Lesson Learned" post. Such an amazing song!
Thanks for sharing! What an encouragement!
I love that verse from Isaiah. You must be doing BSF this year because this isn't the first time you've posted about exactly what I'm learning. :)
I really don't want to over simply suffering or gloss over the pain and heartache, but I learned a huge lesson about how the Lord works blessing in suffering when my husband was diagnosed with cancer. I realized then (by the power of the Holy Spirit) that the blessing in my life was not just in spite of the the suffering. I could see that. I could see the way people were reaching out to us and caring for us. I could see the way our child continued to be a joy and a delight. But what I had to learn is that the suffering WAS the blessing because through it, God was making us more like His Son, Jesus, who suffered unto death. And being made like Him is God's greatest good for me, His greatest purpose and His greatest blessing, When I realized that, my heartache did not decrease one ounce but it did become a little less confusing. (And, praise God, now my husband has been cancer free for two years.)
Thank you for sharing your heart.
I LOVE Laura Story! She helps lead worship at the church I grew up in outside of Atlanta, Georgia. This song is so great and she has such a gift especially since she has gone through tough things herself. Right after she got married, her husband was diagnosed with a brain tumor. He is still alive, but has significant disabilities now due to the tumor. Anyway, thanks for your words too...I have so admired the way you always share your vulnerability and your journey of grief, but through it all how you trust in a sovereign God no matter how hard it is to understand His ways!
Thank you for being honest about wrestling with God and the word blessing. I have struggled with the same issues since Nate died. I could have written this post myself.
Watching your child die just messes with you. But my faith and my service will ultimately grow stronger because I have wrestled.
HUgs,
Trisha
I was just reading in the book of Isaiah this morning! With a special needs child who is chronically sick, I am so encouraged by your blog. Your heartache ministers to me. I pray you are lifted up and encouraged this day:)
What a great song thanks for sharing. I know I've had the same thoughts before about my first husband Mark, why wasn't he healed. But I guess its just another reason to have faith, faith that God knows what he is doing.
Amber
Thank you for sharing this song. I think I will be "borrowing" it to post on my blog.
xo*tricia
Love this song...thank you for sharing. You are so special...I love reading your blog!!!
Thank you for sharing this. I needed it today at this very moment.
Thank you for sharing this today, I needed to hear it. Specifically "what if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near." Your story and day to day journey is an inspiration to me. Thank you for sharing your journey with us! God bless you and your family.
What an amazing song. It makes me think of my own prayer life. It reminds me to be more intentional in my prayers. Even though Cora isn't here she is still a blessing!! Her life and story touched and BLESSED so many people. Lives were and are being Eternally changed because of her!!! Praise God!!
Beautiful!
www.thisfarmfamilyslife.blogspot.com
God cares more about your holiness than your happiness... a hard pill to swallow. My family has had to come to terms with this as well.
You are so encouraging. Your faith speaks volumes to me. Thank you!
Sending my love from Maryland. <3
Jess, you are truly inspirational. Using such a tragedy to bless os many people. What a beautiful song! And I love your new blog layout and the banner pictures!x
I love this song
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Blessings for you and your family. You touch so many...too numerous to know...and sharing your pain, your heartache...has made many of us know that it is OK to feel that pain...this song was perfect for me today...I needed to hear it.
Thank you for sharing.
EmL from Newport News
hey Jess! I have followed your blog for about 3 years. You are quite an inspiration to me. I ran across this book tonight and thought of you. You may have read it but incase you haven't here it is. "Plan B:What Do You Do When God Doesn't Show Up the Way You Thought He Would?" by Pete Wilson
Rebekah Chait
Knoxville, TN
Hi Jess - this song is totally amazing and has reminded me that while I may not agree with God's decisions I have to trust in him. I've never had to listen to it in the context that you do but you are truly an amazing woman of God to not only continue to trust in Him the way you do but to share that trust and commitment and your heart with all of us. God Bless - praying for you and your family every day.
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