I find it interesting, how the soul reacts to pain. Especially times of deep, gut wrenching, soul searing, grief. The kind that leaves your heart ripped open and your emotions raw. Reactions vary from person to person, and in each person from moment to moment, however, there is one thing I have observed over the years, that may seem odd to some. And it is this, very often from our deepest, darkest moments of grief can come our richest moments of worship.
I witness it today, as our small church family had their hearts torn my the devastating news of a young person lost much to early. As the shock subsided and the sadness took hold, we moved from a time of prayer to a time of worship through song. And what my eyes and ears witnessed was nothing short of astounding. From the first note and the first word of the first song, you could almost sense the conscious effort of the whole that we would raise our voices in worship and praise.
In the midst of unthinkable pain and grief,
our worship this was filled with a deep richness I have not felt
in some time. The depth of pain seemed to almost enrich the depth of
worship, as we found our voices lifting up song after song naming the
attributes of our great God and his love for us, ending in a rousing
acapella chorus of How Great Thou Art. Every song and every verse was like a healing balm that seeped
into the gaping wound the news had left on our hearts.
Grief and Pain are real, and deep, and raw and threaten to pull us under their wake ... But in the midst of the waves and wind, the steady hand of the Savior is there, catching our tears, holding us tightly, whispering to our souls we do not walk this way alone.
I believe the offering of praise from the broken heart is one of the sweetest offerings one can give, because it comes from the deepest depth of our souls and gives way for the beginning of healing.
No comments:
Post a Comment