Blessings in Disguise

One of the main reasons I quit blogging is that it is so hard to filter every word I write, think about who in my family or circle of friends might read it (& possibly recognize themselves!). It was too much, so I stopped. Then joined Facebook. LOL! Talk about no filter! Plus, people you haven't seen in 20 years can now judge every single thing you do & say publicly!

But I am so full again with things going on in my life and relationship with God and writing stuff down has always been therapeutic for me. Facebook can't handle what I want to say, so hear I am. And this next stuff is what led me to start back up when I did (some of it is repeat from Facebook, so bear with me):

Last week I was driving & praying about some very hard situations in several different friends' lives, asking God to bless them. Most of them are financial, as it always seems to go, so my prayer is usually, GIVE THEM MONEY. Better jobs. Overtime. Money trees ;)

But some of them are dealing with things that money can't fix. Unhappy marriages, single parenting, terrible bosses/neighbors/family...you name it. Everyone I know has some difficult situation they are asking God to intervene in.

As I prayed, my ears picked up on the same word, "blessings", over & over on the radio, so I paused & turned it up. When you are desperate to hear from God, you start looking at billboards differently, searching for some deeper, hidden meaning...and songs become direct words from God...or so you hope ;)

This is the song I heard. It's also in my playlist, to the right, so you can click & hear it as I did. Before you do, let me tell you a little about the woman that wrote it.

Laura Story is the woman who wrote the song Chris Tomlin made famous, Indescribable (I added it to the playlist as well, for those who live on another planet & haven't heard it!).
A year & a half into her marriage her husband was diagnosed with a brain tumor. You can hear her testimony in her own words here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5ljV_RA0CM

She wrote this song, though, after years of ups & downs, prayers & tears, frustration with unanswered prayers, wondering if God was even listening, didn't He care...sound familiar?! Guess that's why it spoke to me so loudly. I added my thoughts in bold & parenthesis in the margin.

Blessings

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 (An easy life is a lesser blessing?)

'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 (Ohhh. I see.)
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise (Because the goal is to know you more..and how better to get to know you...)

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near (it's like she can read minds!)
We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough (Ouch!)
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long we'd have faith to believe (again, ouch.)

'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

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not our home
It's not our home (My one of my favorite promises...we're pilgrims & aliens!)

'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

What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy (this is where I usually cry)
What if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise

See what I'm talking about? She gets it. What a great understand of how this thing, this relationship & getting to know God, works! The harder my trial, the more I learn to lean on Him. The more I get to know Him in ways I wouldn't even consider, had I not stayed up nights praying & listening for His voice. WOW. I don't like it, but I get it.

So, I'm trying to look at things a little differently now. Trials are opportunities to see God move, dark times are opportunities for the SON to shine brighter.

I may need you to remind me of this next week, next month, next pitfall.