"Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died & your life is now hidden with Christ in God."

Monday, August 2, 2010

on the road marked with suffering


I love lyrics. God often uses the lyrics to a song to move me and teach me about who He is and how I can live accordingly. There were a lot of songs that got my attention this summer as I had opportunity to worship with God's people at camps. One stands out in my mind, however. "Blessed Be Your Name" got to me one morning. That song's been one of my favorites for a while, but it hit me square between the eyes this particular time. The lyrics are as follows:
Blessed Be Your Name
In the land that is plentiful
Where Your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be Your name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed Be Your name
Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name
Blessed be Your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's 'all as it should be'
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name
Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name
You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name


I think the line that gets me most is "Blessed be your name on the road marked with suffering, though there's pain in the offering...and when the darkness closes in Lord, STILL I will say blessed be the name of the Lord." Sometimes I feel like lightning's about to strike, like I'm one step away from a trial that's gonna knock me off my rocker. It's easy to be grateful when "the sun's shining down on me and the world's all as it should be." But it's a totally different story when "we're found in the desert place" or when we "walk through the wilderness." As I stood there in chapel hearing these words, these declarations roll off my tongue, tears formed in my eyes. If all were stripped away and I was left with only God, would my response look anything like Job's? Would I fall on my face in worship and declare that God gives and takes away and His name is to be praised regardless? Worship requires something of us. Abraham understood that. In Genesis 22:5 where God calls Abraham to offer his only son Isaac on the altar, Abraham says something very interesting- "He said to his servants, 'Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.'" Abraham didn't know the end result, he didn't know that God would spare his son- but he acted in faith anyway. He recognized this call for sacrifice as a call to worship! Sacrifice is worship. Worship calls us to see all that we have and all that we are as a gift from God with which we've been entrusted. And when it's all said and done, it's all God's anyway. I must see things in the right perspective. So if the road I find myself on is marked with suffering, and if I'm called to bring a painful offering, and if I walk through the wilderness- I pray that I will respond as Job, "BLESSED BE THE NAME OF THE LORD!"

1 comment:

  1. My favorite song...hands down. It means so much to me. In 2001 the Lord took a baby from us by miscarriage. In 2010 the Lord gave us a baby boy from an orphanage in Taiwan...and the 9 years, 4 months and 18 days in between those two moments we have purposed in our hearts to say and live..."LORD, BLESSED BE YOUR NAME!" I too, struggle to sing this awesome song through without tears welling up in my eyes.

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