Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Darkness & dawn

"In your unfailing love you will lead
the people you have redeemed.
In your strength you will guide them
to your holy dwelling." (Ex. 15:13 NIV)

Yesterday I had a strong sense of "It's always darkest before the dawn." Every so often I wrestle with a strong sense of discouragement and/or fears. This past weekend I had a strong spell of that. You could say that is because the devil wants to keep me from doing what God wants. Maybe. Maybe it's my sinful nature. I don't know. But when I got up the next day and the spiritual "fog" had lifted I felt much better.

I have parents and friends who go to chiropractors in order to get their necks or spines adjusted so they don't have pain. I was thinking the other night that when my internal world-my spirit-gets all out of whack, I need a spiritual chiropractor to snap me back into alignment with God. Thankfully, our God is a god of redeeming the hard stuff and using it for his purpose.

The group Selah has a song out that speaks, in part, to this: "UNREDEEMED." Thank goodness God works in places where grace is soon to be so amazing...

The cruelest world
The coldest heart
The deepest wound
The endless dark
The lonely ache
The burning tears
The bitter nights
The wasted years

Life breaks and falls apart
But we know these are
Places where grace is soon to be so amazing
It may be unfulfilled
It may be unrestored
But when anything that's shattered is laid before the Lord
Just watch and see
It will not be unredeemed

For every choice that led to shame
And all the love that never came
For every vow that someone broke
And every lie that gave up hope
We live in the shadow of the fall
But the cross says these are all
Places where grace is soon to be so amazing
It may be unfulfilled
It may be unrestored
But when anything that's shattered is laid before the Lord
Just watch and see
It will not be unredeemed

Places where grace is soon to be so amazing
It may be unfulfilled
It may be unrestored
But you never know the miracle the Father has in store
Just watch and see
It will not be
Just watch and see
It will not be unredeemed

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhOSspNj84w


But God will redeem my life from the grave;
he will surely take me to himself. (Ps.49:15 NIV)

Thank you, God for redeeming our lives when we feel we are in the pit. Thank you for taking the unfulfilled, unrestored places and creating beauty out of ashes. Help us see your miracles, your work, your redemption. Take us to yourself we pray. Amen.

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