Years back, Laura Story wrote a beautiful song about her time of trouble…when her husband had been diagnosed with a brain tumor.
Her insightful chorus asks…
‘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
There is MUCH to love about this song…
But here’s what I like the most: It questions God in confidence.
What do I mean by that?
How often do we, when tragedy strikes, ask God, “Why me?!”
I understand being in the midst of tragedy. Just 19 years ago this past Saturday, when I was 12 years old, I lost my dad to a combination of Leukemia and Pneumonia.
It was a painful time…and yet, I never drifted away. Today, I hear story after story of tragedy leading to the abandonment of faith.
But I knew the world didn’t care about me. I ran to Jesus…the only place I could run.
Life does not always make sense. But Laura’s questions suppose we think about it differently.
We all want blessing, we all want healing, and we all want God’s mercy. She’s exposing our shallow desires…many of us want those things, but are not willing to endure the trial before.
It’s a hard-hitting—and very biblical—message. We are promised the nearness of God in the midst of suffering. It is not the absence of suffering we are promised.
Here’s what we, as worship leaders and musicians, must realize: When we are creating the worship experience on Sunday, there are multitudes of people in the room walking through various stages of their trial.
They need peace.
They need hope.
They need worship.
It is up to us to do the very best job we can in creating a safe atmosphere for them to lift up Yahweh in praise and adoration…even through their tears.
May we never take for granted the seriousness of that calling.
Steve Schramm.
P.S. By the way, if your heart’s desire is to be a great worship musician…but you are struggling with the practical side of learning new music, gaining confidence on stage etc., we invite to try out our training program—Worship By Numbers—for free today. Here’s the link: www.WorshipByNumbers.com.