He Is With You

I have a playlist in my iTunes called "Soundtrack of My Life."  There are only two requirements for a song to be added to this list:  1 - it must be Christian, and 2 - the lyrics are my heart's cry.  Of course the playlist is frequently changing as my heart's cry also changes.  I turn to these whenever I have dark days, and they encourage me like nothing else can.  Music is therapy for me.  So are my dogs, but that's a topic for another day.   ;)

When I decided to rejoin the blogging world, I debated for quite a while on what to call this place where I would attempt to process my thoughts into words.  I wanted something with meaning, but didn't want to come across as someone without hope, even though hope was something I was struggling with at the time (and often still do).  Since music is such a vital part of my life, it was natural for me to start thinking about some of my favorite songs and the key phrases in those songs.

The name of my blog comes from the scripture Psalm 30:5:  "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning."  There are times I feel like I'm hanging on to that verse for dear life.  Even though I may cry now, joy is coming.  It will not always be this dark.  There is light at the end of this tunnel.

I got the exact phrase, "joy will come in the morning," from the song "He Is With You" by Christian singer Mandisa.  But the primary message of this song is that God is always with me, no matter what I am facing in my life -- even when I feel like He isn't listening. 

Sometimes I struggle with feeling like God doesn't hear my prayers.  Not just my prayers, but the prayers of those whom I hold most dear.  Recently I was reading a devotional from The One Year Book of Hope by Nancy Guthrie, which "just happened" to be about God being Jehovah-Shammah: The Lord is There.

Here is an excerpt from the book:

"The God who made us walks beside us in the highest and lowest points of life, and even in death.  Ultimately, this is the greatest promise and one of His most precious names, because experiencing the reality of His presence with us is our most profound need.  But I must admit, there have been times the promise of 'God with me' hasn't felt like enough for me.  It has seemed like a cop-out answer when He wasn't doing something for me.  I have wanted what He has to offer more than I have wanted Him.  Part of my problem is that I resist slowing down enough to simply enjoy His presence...  He is there, but I've missed Him."  

Convicting, no?  If His presence with me is my most profound need, then why don't I live that way?  The reason is because it's not something that comes natural to me.  My human nature would rather wallow in self-pity and focus on how my heart's deepest desire has been denied over and over again, even though the harsh reality is that this life isn't about me and what God should do for me. 

God owes me nothing. 

The only thing I truly deserve is to spend eternity in hell, yet God chose to graciously give me eternal life through the death of his Son!  This is a reminder I need to hear on a daily basis, especially when my mind wants to focus on specific prayers that have gone unanswered. My heartache and perceived needs are very small when viewed in the light of eternity.  Life on this earth is not about my happiness, nor is it about my pain.

I'm not saying God doesn't care about these things; He truly does!  That's one of the awesome characteristics of God.  He cares about every detail of my insignificant life and is with me each step of the way.  And that's a really good thing, because I couldn't walk this journey without Him.  I am incredibly thankful I don't have to.  His presence is my most profound need.
 
"Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9 (NIV)

He Is With You

There's a time to live
And a time to die
There's a time to laugh
And a time to cry

There's a time for war
And a time for peace
There's a hand to hold
In the worst of things
In the worst of things

He is with you when your faith is dead
And you can't even get out of bed
Or your husband doesn't kiss you anymore
He is with you when your baby's gone
And your house is still
And your hearts are stone
Crying "God what'd you do that for?"
He is with you

There's a time for yes
And a time for no
There's a time to be angry
And a time to let it go
There's a time to run
And a time to face it
There's love to seek
Through all of this
Through all of this

He is with you in the conference room
When the world is coming down on you
And your wife and kids don't know you anymore
And He is with you in the ICU when the doctors don't know what to do
And it scares you to the core
He is with you

We may weep for a time but joy will come in the morning
The morning light

He is with you when your kids are grown
When there's too much space and you feel alone
And you're worried if you got it right or wrong
Yes He is with you when you've given up on ever finding your true love
Someone who feels like home
He is with you

When nothing else is left
And you take your final breath
He is with you