Finding a song that speaks to your current mood is something special; it’s like discovering a precious jewel among piles of rocks. The moment is made even more meaningful when you’re not even searching for the song, but the song seems to find you. The feeling is surreal. Tears flow. Chills form. And as you sit and listen the lyrics seem to alter who you are for just a minute. The moment is hard to describe and even harder to come by. But when you do, you just know.
I was fortunate to have an experience such as this just last week. I found a song that perfectly describes the type of relationship I desire to have with God every day. Weird right? How can such a complex, beautiful, deep, and significant relationship be summed up in a single song? Yet somehow MercyMe seemed to do just that in their song “Even If.” Breaking it down, here is how the lyrics spoke to me…
"They say sometimes you win some
Sometimes you lose some
And right now
Right now I'm losing bad
There are times in life where the weight of the world seems to crash around you. Then there are times when nothing can get you down. But in the times when life is rough, it seems like things will never look up. It’s difficult to see the light in dark times.
I've stood on this stage
Night after night
Reminding the broken
It'll be alright
But right now
Oh right now I just can't
Each of us has a platform to use our voices every day. Often times, we go around and comfort those who are hurting. We offer an encouraging word to a friend to try to lift his or her spirits or we go out of our way to help someone who needs us. We speak positivity into other people. What about ourselves? We don’t treat ourselves with the same care, although we need it just as much.
It's easy to sing
When there's nothing to bring me down
But what will I say
When I'm held to the flame
Like I am right now
In the good times, it’s easy to be full of joy. In these times, we sing, dance, and laugh with ease. We thank God for his many blessings in our life. How do we react when the bad times hit? I wish I could say we react exactly the same way. Because even if the road ahead looks dark, God’s goodness hasn’t changed. He is still right there; he didn’t go anywhere. God deserves our endless praise in the sun and the storm.
I know You're able
And I know You can
Save through the fire
With Your mighty hand
But even if You don't
My hope is You alone
When the going gets tough we must continue to give glory to God. He is the ultimate healer. He can fix a broken situation in the blink of an eye. But that doesn’t mean he will. As hard as that is to wrap your head around, God isn’t going to always give you instant gratification, even though he very well could. One might wonder why this is? Well, maybe the situation is meant for something greater. Maybe we need to soften our hearts or learn a new lesson, or just simply give it to God.
They say it only takes a little faith
To move a mountain
Good thing
A little faith is all I have right now
This faith in God, it doesn’t have to be big. Aim for big faith, but give a little if it’s all you can give. It just has to exist. If we look to Matthew 17:20, we see that faith as small as a mustard seed is enough.
"You don't have enough faith," Jesus told them. "I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible." Matthew 17:20
But God when You choose
To leave mountains unmovable
Give me the strength
To be able to sing
It is well with my soul
All we have to do is ask God to give us strength. We have to claim all is well even when it isn’t. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. We are not called to be comfortable. There will always be something in the way or something to cause us to be uneasy, an unmovable mountain. It’s what we decide to do with it that matters.
I know the sorrow
I know the hurt
Would all go away
If You'd just say the word
But even if You don't
My hope is You alone
There is a deeper meaning in the hurting. Trusting God means never doubting he is there and never doubting he is good. Anchor yourself in him. Ask him to take control of your thought life, your spiritual life, and your emotional life. He will renew you in the midst of troubles.
You've been faithful
You've been good
All of my days
Jesus, I will cling to You
Come what may
‘Cause I know You're able
I know You can
God always has and always will right there fighting with us. Our battles are his battles. None of this is a surprise to him. He knew it was coming and he equipped you with everything you need to push through. God will never leave you lonely or abandoned. Cling to him. Know you can by his strength.
It is well with my soul. It is well, it is well with my soul."
Declare this every day, all the time. It is well with my soul, God!
LINK TO LYRIC VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6fA35Ved-Y
ALL CREDIT GOES TO MERCYME.
