Choosing to Bless the Lord

Matt Redmond's music has ministered to me so much since about 2000 when someone gave us a mix cd with some of his worship music on it. We had moved to Verona, Italy, and we were really all alone. We did not know anyone there, let alone have a fellowship of believers to be with, and we were forced to hunker down with each other and Jesus. We lived among so much beauty - the well-preserved antiquity, the language, the food and wine, the art and generalized creativity that seems to seep through everything Italians do. But there was a decided absence of the presence of the Lord. I imagine everything there would be exponentially more beautiful if the Lord walked among the Italians. The glory of the Lord seems to have departed those tremendous cathedrals! There are so few who really know and love God, and the darkness is pretty dark.

But back to Matt Redmond... the song, "Blessed Be Your Name" is Job's song, and is every believer's heartcry when going through adversity. Job is really the sufferer's hero, and Mr. Redmond has so eloquently put that hero's struggle to music. Of course we praise God when streams of abundance flow, but what about in the wilderness? When the darkness closes in? Will we STILL say, "blessed be your glorious name?" Do we really believe God is God and we are the creation? God does still have the power to do as He pleases, right? Though there's pain in the offering... So many times I have worshiped with tears in my eyes, and I cry now as I listen to this song again, worship pours from my heart, but He gives and takes away, and my heart will choose to say, blessed be Your name.

I believe this is when it is a true sacrifice of praise, when it is really the last thing our flesh wants to do...this is a sweet aroma to the Lord. I also think these last several months of painful economic times, when so many are in the same boat as we are, have been when our worship has been the most pure, the most sacrificial, and therefore very precious to God.

Our struggles are not as severe as some, I know things could be so much worse, but everyone suffers in different measure at different times in life, and I assume our suffering days are not over. This is why Heaven and all it's perfection becomes more appealing as the years roll on. I want to learn the lessons of drawing on the power of the Holy Spirit, what a gift, so that when times of drought come again, this lesson is an old familiar friend.

I wrote this to a friend back around the first of March and I am so amazed to read these months old words now:

I better watch what I put up on fb status! I've had so many dear friends wondering the same thing. I was just browsing around fb one night, when Kirk wasn't home (you know he's working in Wilson and only coming home on weekends and Wed. night, right?), and I was listening to that Newsboys song, Blessed Be the Name, and I just wanted to declare it. I had the most amazing worship time that night. I feel like my faith has been shaken down to the absolute basics. Why do I serve God? Why do I pray? Why do I give? Is it to see results? To be blessed? If it all was taken away, which a lot of "it" has, will I still serve/love Him? Everything is very okay. I feel at peace although a storm is raging. There is nothing left in the business. One more month, then it's gone. Who knows? one day at a time, let's see what will happen tomorrow, next week, next month. I wake up every day and say, wow, we made it through another day, I never thought we'd make it to March.

The specter of what we fear is much worse the the thing itself, I think.

There have been many times of pain in our lives. Uncertainty, sadness, disappointment, physical pain, illness, hopelessness, fear, misunderstanding...why should this be so unexpected? Didn't Jesus tell his friends, in this world you will have troubles, but be cheerful, because I have overcome that world. Our hope is fully in His presence with us through these trials. His joy is my strength.

My heart will CHOOSE to say blessed be the name of the Lord.