Inspiration Monday #1

I love this song, "Blessed Be Your Name." I have sung it many, many times and most of those times have been with tears streaming down my cheeks--sometimes tears of joy, sometimes tears of pain.

I get to decide what I will do with challenging circumstances and what I will do when all is well. Sometimes when things are running smoothly and life is flowing along, I forget to give God credit for that, then suddenly run to Him when everything falls apart. Or I find myself in communion with God when times are tough then when the clouds break, I go back to my usual self-reliance.

I want to choose to give God the credit whether or not things are going my way.

Because God is there in the storm clouds and He is there in the sunshine. And He wants to be in relationship with me regardless, because His love and provision never change.

Thanksgiving weekend certainly provided a lot of "sun shining down on me" and "the world's all as it should be" kind of moments. Yet in the early part of the week, I found myself in my fifth month of pregnancy and mere days away from my 31st birthday, laying in a surgeon's office, undergoing a second breast biopsy. That situation couldn't have been more unnatural. Yet I felt at peace and felt God's protection.

So Sunday, while visiting my folks' church, the band started playing this song and tears flowed. My mind played out a sort of slideshow of the previous week and it looked a lot like this.

P.S. The biopsy picture isn't me--it's from a Google search. I threw it in because life really isn't all sunshine and roses...and somehow, the dark moments make the bright ones brighter.

I recommend first muting my playlist (bottom of the right sidebar, purple) then clicking on this YouTube version to listen while you scroll.



"Blessed Be Your Name" by Matt Redman

Blessed Be Your Name
In the land that is plentiful



Where Your streams of abundance flow



Blessed be Your name

Blessed Be Your name
When I'm found in the desert place



Though I walk through the wilderness



Blessed Be Your name

Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise



When the darkness closes in, Lord



Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

Blessed be Your name
When the sun's shining down on me





When the world's 'all as it should be'





Blessed be Your name

Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name



Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise



When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name



Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name



Blessed be the name of the Lord



Blessed be Your glorious name

You give and take away



You give and take away



My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name