Saturday, April 8, 2017

Dear God,

Out of so much tragedy, hymns have been written.  Deep loss and much suffering have set the stage for hearts to be touched, moved, and inspired to write poetry set to tunes.  Songs like It is Well with My Soul, Like a River Glorious, and O God, Our Help in Ages Past have all come out of sorrow, pain, and despair.  It was in the midst of such chaos that you came to each composer whispering hope, comfort, and strength.  Out of these encounters with the Master of the Cosmos, they penned words and/or wrote tunes that lift up so many souls today.

Mostly we do not know what you have done to raise the dead to new life.  We are not aware how you transform sorrowful souls into inspired writers.  We are ignorant to the fact that you have blessed many with a creative spirit to lift the hearts of downhearted, downcast, and lost souls for centuries.

When we sing moving songs of faith, for a moment we enter into the experience of composers who found you, listened to you, and wrote amazing songs that continue to inspire, help, comfort, encourage, and bless.  When we do sing, we too touch that same spirit, that Holy Spirit that lifts us up out of our own sorrow, pain, anxiety, fear, and pain and we are blessed, so very, very blessed.

Holy God,
thank you
for the gift
of music,
for lyrics
that are
the linings
of pained souls,
and for inspiration
that transforms.
Thank you
for compassion
that is
eternity's gift.
Thank you
for faith
that helps us
make sense
of life's hurts.

Love always, Andrea