Unanswered yet. If any of your prayers fit that description, you might relate when I say I have a love-hate relationship with this hymn. Each verse breathes hope into your soul. And then two words deflate it. They’re not intended to, but when sometime, somewhere is a horizon you can’t see any better now than […]
Surrender is a verb. Noah Webster’s first definition of it is “to yield to the power of another; to give or deliver up possession upon compulsion or demand.” Maybe that’s why it so often feels more like being shackled to an adjective. SURRENDER, adj. 1. A state of powerlessness. And maybe that’s why it’s so
I stand all amazed at the love of Jesus. No one who’s given him their heart can help it. Ask me why, though, and my answer might not be the same as yours. We stand amazed in different ways because he saves us in different ways. All to the same end–to bring us back to
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Whether it rises from a congregation in a chapel or drifts in multiple languages across the carnage of no man’s land, Silent Night is a Christmas carol that wields with its soothing melody and reverent words a remarkable power to unify. Whether that unity lasts, though, depends on us. Bits and pieces of stories I’ve
Gratitude is not a four-letter word. We’re so saturated with platitudes about it that, especially when life leaves much to be desired, it feels like one. Anyone in a crisis is prone to flip “The attitude determines the altitude!” off their shoulder like a bug. And then glare at it. I have. But that doesn’t
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What’s the hardest thing God ever asked of you? To bury a loved one? Endure sickness? Wait? I could list a few experiences he’s allowed me that have been and still are no picnic. But in all the storms, his most exacting command is not to endure the waves that crash over me. It’s to
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The truest friends stand by you. Even when you’re at your worst. Especially when you’re at your worst. They know your sometimes not-so-pleasant demeanor isn’t a reflection of your heart, but the battle being waged inside it. And rather than abandoning you to your enemy to seek more agreeable company, they’ll move mountains to help
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My favorite scripture is apt to change with my circumstances. One verse speaks to this battle, another speaks to that. But with seven powerful verses bundled together, How Firm a Foundation speaks to every condition, which makes it my favorite hymn no matter what’s happening. This is admittedly a lengthy hymn. Unfortunately, that often means
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Is it really so reassuring to know my heavenly Father knows? He’s God. Of course he knows. Our storms, frailties, wounds. Nothing we carry to him is a surprise. Nothing we keep from him escapes his notice, either. He’s not called omniscient for nothing. But if you’re like me, it’s not so much what he
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“Have thine own way, Lord.” Five of the hardest words to say and actually mean. Deep down, we may believe God’s plans are as perfect as he is, perfectly designed for our perfect happiness. He’s a loving God. They must be. Why, then, are they so hard to trust? This hymn was sung at my
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