It is hard to imagine sometimes, how on earth we can praise God when we are drowning in our circumstances. A few years ago Casting Crowns had a song on the radio called “I Will Praise You in this Storm”. Being a music lover I immediately liked the song. But it took me a bit to really grasp what the song was saying.
Here are some of the lyrics;
I was sure by now
God, You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
And once again
I say, “A-men” and it’s still rainin’
This was a scratch my head moment. There is expectation in this line of the song. I see an image of a genie in a bottle. We rub the bottle and the genie grants our wish of happiness, no more tears, immediate joy. It doesn’t work that way. So, therein lies disappointment. But look at the last line; “I say amen and it’s still rainin'”.
Saying Amen when it’s still raining is the tough part to grasp. It’s like that old saying, cleaning your house while your kids are growing is like shoveling snow while it’s still snowing. Pointless right? Doesn’t accomplish much. But here’s the thing, our yeses and amens do accomplish much. When we look around us in the world today there is strife. A lot of strife. There will always be strife this side of heaven.
Here is the chorus to the song for more context;
And I’ll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
And every tear I’ve cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
-The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Deuteronomy 31:8
This verse alone should make us stand up and shout amen when it’s still rainin’. The Lord goes before us setting our path. No matter how far we stray, He will never leave us there. We need not be afraid because of this promise.
-Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6
This is where true worship and praise comes in. When we stand up to the strife that has come against us, bold in our trust of the promise, we are able to praise Him in our storms. Worshipping God the father will only cost you the stress you are carrying around. And then following that up with a heart posture of praise will get you through to the next moment, hour, day, week. Saying all this and believing in the potential result; peace, are two separate things.
And though my heart is torn
(Though my heart is torn)
I’ll praise You in this storm
(Praise You in this storm)
Like I said at the beginning, it can be tough to imagine praising God through our circumstances, but when we believe the aforementioned promise as truth, the distance to the realization of it in our own lives becomes shorter. Our hearts can be torn, they will get torn many times over in our lifetimes. We need to stand against the storms of life and praise Him wherever we are. In the depths of despair, or in the heights of joy, praising the savior all the day long will get us through.
~~Carol Frear