On this week’s worship Wednesdays’ post, I am going to dive deep and speak about something personal, that has been weighing on my heart, and then share a song that of late has given me hope; a song in which we can all worship God in spite of our circumstances!

Over the past year or so, a few people that we know have been hit hard with news of their family members and friends being very sick. Though I will not divulge these illnesses online for all the world to see and read, what I will say is that the people with these illnesses, and their families, all of which have come at one point or another to the current church my family and I attend, have been struggling.

While everyone at church is praying for miraculous healing, for more than one person, I think you’ve gotta be not human at all, if the thought doesn’t cross you mind ‘What happens if they are not better? What then?’ Everyone has thought that thought at one point or another, and in that circumstance, can we really be brave and say to God ‘I trust you in this area, even if I don’t know nor understand what you are doing, if you are doing something at all’? Sometimes we can’t. We break down, cry, sometimes we are angry at the situation, and sometimes all we can do is just yell and scream and shout? Not very Christian-like, huh?

At church recently (and I do think that this is intentional, and not a coincidence by any means…), we’ve been singing a song repeatedly, every week for the past month or so; one that worships God, but is also entirely fitting and appropriate for our pain and suffering at we as a body are collectively experiencing. The song, though worshipful, has a kind of sombre and reflective tone about it. It is Hillsong’s smash hit “Desert Song”, written and sung by Brooke Fraser.

The track may seem upbeat musically, however it is the lyrics that bring this guitar led rock anthem back down to earth. When you think about the lyrics (well, when I do), I can’t help but be choked up, and emotional. Because the reality is that God is God, and it’s in the hard times that we wrestle with that constantly. With a driving guitar and keys anchoring the track, giving us a prayer to pray when we are feeling lost and alone, it is really the bridge that gets me. Check out the lyrics of the bridge below, and of the entire song here!

All of my life
In every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship

Confronting isn’t it? Do we really have a reason to sing at all times, even if our world is crumbling around us? Though it may not seem like it, God is moving in our lives and the loves of those we love the most, even if we may not see the effects until years later. But that doesn’t mean we give up. As the chorus of this worship anthem, and contemplative ballad state, we shouldn’t allow the enemy to have a hold of us, and we shouldn’t allow any earthly weapon to have power over us. Because if we do that, we are admitting defeat that our God isn’t as mighty as we say. But that’s not true.

Every verse in the Bible says that God is to be trusted and that he has our best interest at heart. And while at times when were in the desert, we may want to turn our backs when we do not receive what we want in the timing that God wants; I would say to everyone feeling that way, that God has a plan bigger than our own, that The One who put the stars in place is holding you in the palm of His hand. Shouldn’t that give you awe and wonderment? Despite your earthly circumstances? God has given us promise after promise in His word that He longs for no one to suffer, and that anyone can come to Him, and ask to be healed, and He will do it; and it is these many places in the Bible that give me comfort during a time where everything doesn’t seem to make sense.

Thought his song may not soothe the soul of those in the midst of any sobering and unfortunate situation (inclusive of those at the church I attend, who are struggling- who knows, they may be angry at God for whatever reason!), I hope and pray that it gives people perspective, and renewed hope that everything will work out the way God wants it to, and that God will be glorified all the time. I guess that’s all we can hope for.

So, how are the people at church who I talked about in the first paragraphs? Well, it’s an ongoing process, but I firmly believe in miracles. And as I sing this song that I believe with all my heart, I know that God is working. People are rallying together at church, helping people they may not necessarily know personally, all because we are brothers and sisters in Christ.

And to have this song as the backdrop for our prayers, as a sort of theme song or anthem in this season if you will, is very fitting. No doubt we will all never hear this song in the same light again, and that’s ok. Songs are supposed to change you from the inside out, and this song certainly has for me. It’s given me hope then there are many things in dire straits, and for that, I thank the writers of “Desert Song” for relaying what God has put on their hearts.

So whatever happens, whether people are healed or not, He is still faithful, amen? Sometimes this is a hard point to reconcile with, however that’s the Christian faith, right? To believe at all times. Not just when it is easy…

Anyway, enough of me rambling; check out the video of “Desert Song” here, and the cover by AJ Michalka below!

What song has carried you through your personal storms? Let us know which song meant the most to you when you were in your darkest season in life?

Til next time!