Praise You In This Storm

It seems that the only thing i blog about these days is songs. I think God has really been speaking to my heart through the lyrics of songs lately.

So i went to a Casting Crowns concert on Thursday (as did many other people i know) and it was amazing! I was so inspired and so grateful for having been given the opportunity to go!

I was inspired because the lyrics had meaning, the things that were spoken were truth, the people on the stage were real. When i watched that concert, i didn't see self-righteous people, i saw ordinary human beings in search for a higher power, desiring, even craving, a close encounter with God.

Their music and who they were, blew me away!

In my lifetime, i've only been to one real concert, which was evanescence and don't get me wrong, i love that band but i have to admit, the concert scene's not really my thing. But i realised, whilst i was watching casting crowns, that there is so much meaning in seeing and listening to something that you believe whole-heartedly. It's not a concert but rather an act of worship - i just loved it. It made me think about so many different things.

One of my thoughts was this song, "Praise You In This Storm". When they performed this song, i had tears in my eyes and i struggled to hold them back. These are the lyrics:

I was sure by now
God, You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say "Amen", and it's still raining

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with You"

How incredible a description is this of how ignorant and self-focused we can become that we barely even recognise God's voice! No wonder we crumble! I think it stirs me because sometimes, we don't give God enough credit for who is and what he can do! It makes me sad to think i would put more faith in myself than in God who can save and rescue me!

And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

CHORUS
I'll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am

This next part stirs something so profound in me i feel like breaking down! Knowing that there is someone who loves me enough to 'never leave my side', who holds 'every tear i've cried', who cares enough to love me. It's a love that i never want to take for granted. I will DEFINITELY praise you in ANY storm!

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

I remember when
I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry
You raised me up again

It reassures me to know that God hears our cry and not only does he hear it but he acts on it!

My strength is almost gone
How can I carry on
If I can't find You

Sometimes our circumstance can seem so futile and so hopeless that our cry to God or our plea is desperate. Our grip on God is almost like that frenzied breath we try and take as if we were drowning. we hold on, as though we're hanging from a cliff losing our grip. Sometimes 'finding God' is like trying to keep our eyes open in the middle of a dust storm!

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with You"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

CHORUS

I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The Maker of Heaven and Earth


CHORUS
Though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

Praising God in our 'storms' of life seems too easy to me. I can't think of any other person i'd rather break down and crumble with. Sometimes, people don't understand a God who allows 'storms' and yet for me, i find it the easiest thing to do and sometimes i don't know what else to do or who else to turn to, there's no other person who knows my circumstance or knows how i feel or how torn i am than he who formed me. Praising God in my 'storms' seems to look hurt and suffering in the eyes saying 'God is better than this'.

Check it out: Praise You In This Storm