Tumbleweed and Alligator
Thoughts and Ramblings of a West Texas Native and a Cajun Poser
November 21, 2022 - From Hurt to Hallelujah
November 21, 2022 - From Hurt to Hallelujah
There’s a song I learned many years ago, and sang it as a solo at church. The title: Make Me Willing. Never have the words meant more than they do now.
Make me willing to wait patiently
for the answers I've prayed for so long.
Make me willing to listen to Thee
and to say "not my will, but Thine be done".
Make me willing to thank Thee for tears
And for heartaches that cause me to pray.
Will you make me a vessel the Master can use
Keep me willing the rest of my days.
My Father points the way to go
Then makes the way for me.
He tells me I must trust in Him
My faith will help me see.
The road may not be easy
The testing will be great
But then my Lord reminds me
That He will help me wait.
During Thanksgiving season, we thank God for all of the blessings around us – for the food, the family, the friends, etc. But, we often forget that among those blessings are the heartaches that caused us to pray; the pain that produced the lessons we needed to learn; for the grief and sorrow, though not of God, that refined our souls, and strengthened our faith.
God never promised that His people would not suffer. Never did He assure us that the Christian life would be smooth, filled with worldly treasures or power or status or exalted position. On the contrary, if we are to live like Christ, we should expect no exemption from pain and hurt. But my experience of late is that when I move my attention from the tears and the pain to the glory and the promises of God, I transition from hurt to Hallelujah. I change my attitude of gratitude from being thankful for the obvious, to being grateful for the things in my life that caused me to reflect, meditate and turn inward to the deeper relationship God wants us to share with Him.
The Bible is full of God’s people who suffered indescribable torment, depression and anguish, who lost their faith, lost hope, felt betrayed by God. But each story serves as an example and lesson to each of us about restoration of the soul, about renewal of faith, and the spiritual healing that comes after the storms of life. Each story tells of weeping, gnashing of teeth, defeat, and a feeling that God has turned HIs back. But, the stories don’t end in pain, but reveal for us the lessons and the strength that comes during and after the lingering pain. Even in the midst of the trial, we are in the arms of the Almighty. “I will look to the hills, from whence cometh my strength. My strength cometh from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” Psalms 121:1
It is not God’s will that we suffer, for suffering comes from evil. God looks at our suffering, and tells us to trust in Him, to wait and to rejoice in His love. Just as the men and women in the Bible, we are no different. Our stories are not over. They don’t end in grief, but in Glory; not in hurt, but in Hallelujah.