Blessings

Ok- I told you yesterday that there were 2 songs that have really encouraged me over the past few months.  Today I'll explain the other song....

Laura Story's "Blessings": **This is not the entire song**

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 us 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 a 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

And all the while You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

**I've bolded the parts that have really stuck out to me.**
 
     1. First of all, we are reminded by this song that God hears everything we ask of Him, every desire, every need and everything we think will make us happy.  But you can't miss those few lines that also remind us that He loves us so much that He won't give us lesser things.  Sometimes what we want is not what God wants.  We have to trust that He's got our best interest in mind and that He wants to give us the best. 
     2. Secondly, the chorus is amazing.  The entire chorus should be bolded, but I stuck with just the last part.  What if all the trials we have in life are mercies?  It doesn't seem like this can even be possible sometimes, but behind every trial something good can come of it.  My whole life I have loved the verses from James...

"Consider it pure joy my brothers, when you face trials of many kinds

because the testing of your faith develops perseverance"

James 1:2-3

The verse goes on to talk about what perseverance leads to etc....  But joy in trials?  That is SO hard to do.  But joy isn't the same as happiness is it?  Those of you who have been through hard times understand this.  Joy is deeper, it comes from within.  It doesn't mean everything is just perfect the way you planned, it means that you've accepted God's choices and through that you can find a deeper meaning... a deeper purpose. 

     3. Thirdly, this next verse ends by reminding us that all the while God just wants us to have enough faith to believe in His plans, to believe in His love for us.  Sometimes that seems like we need a lot of faith, more than I have at many times... but then wait...  didn't God say something about a mustard seed?  Yes! 

"Truly, I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain,

'Move from here to there', and it will move. 

Nothing will be impossible for you."

Matthew 17:20

A tiny mustard seed can see you through the hard times.  Isn't that cool? 

So... this song has many reminders in it for me.  I definitely feel this move has tested me in ways I did not plan on, but I'm looking forward to seeing God's mercies through these trials, and praying that I have just enough faith to believe and to find the deeper joy... God's deeper purpose...  God's blessings....