A Song for the Hard Times

"Praise God from Whom all blessings flow, praise Him all creatures here below, praise Him above ye heavenly host, praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost."

"His name is Jesus, precious Jesus. Lord Almighty, King of my heart, King of glory."

Today I just needed to sing. I don't know what you are going through, but I know what my family is going through. It is tough. I am not even going to describe today. Suffice it to say, when I put my bread in the toaster tonight and said, "Why does it smell like my toast is on fire? Oh, because it is," and saw that the bottom of my toast had caught fire, Erin and I just started laughing...because I really think that the only other option would have been tears.

This is a hard time. It is a hard time for a lot of people. So many of my friends are hurting. We are all struggling so hard to bear each other's burdens, all the while trying not to collapse beneath the weight of our own.

Our pastor, Jim Stady, brought a powerful message Sunday morning. He didn't know how this week would turn out for so many of us (and it is only Tuesday night!)...but God did. If you get a chance, read 2 Chronicles 20 1-30 sometime soon. While you're at it, contact Bible Baptist Church and get a copy of the sermon from last Sunday morning.

I am not going to try and preach via blog, but I want to quote one part of one verse. It comes from verse 12, "neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee." This is King Jehoshaphat talking to God in reference to a conspiracy of nations that were gathered to attack Judah.

This week, I kind of feel like that. I know I am not alone. I kind of feel like saying, "Hey God...it's me...I'm stuck...and uh...it's all on You." Because really, if you think about it, it is.

Okay, I fibbed, I want to quote one more verse. It is verse 22, "And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten."

So today, since there was nothing else to do, I began to sing. And I sang and I sang. And pretty soon God became bigger than my problems. Even though there are still plenty of things wrong, they became overshadowed by all that is right. I began to realize that with God consequences can become blessings; hardships, delights; and sorrows our greatest joys.

I am praying for all of us today. I don't know what you might be going through, but I know what I am going through...and I know that my situation is not terribly unique.

I think, that no matter what you are going through, you should start to sing and praise. Let God lift up your head, because frankly, sometimes He is the only One Who can.