"Be still, there is a healer..."

I have been pondering more of life in general for quite some time now, especially in the aspect of my faith.   Each time, I end up relating to the music around me and there are certain songs that God seems to put in my listening lineup that remind me of Him and everything that he has/is/will be doing.  Recently, there has been a couple of songs have hit me the hardest, "Blessings" by Laura Story and "I Lift My Hands" by Chris Tomlin. 


I had a lot to do last weekend.  Starting Thursday night after work, I was asked to help take care of my mom's friend's dog (the cutest Shiba Inu you'll ever meet) for the weekend, then I had to attend a rehearsal for the Awakening service.  Friday started with a 10 hour day at work and then the Awakening service right afterwards.


At first, I was a bit overwhelmed at the Awakening with a full stage, and it didn't help that I had pretty much fled from work to church, leaving me in a bit of a panicked, out-of-breath state.  During the service, my mood began to further deteriorate as I couldn't seem to get the sound to work out.  But, I realized that I was relying on my own strength. 


I can do all this through Him who gives me strength - Philippians 4:13 (NIV)


That verse immediately hit me right during the prayer after the first set. I was relying on my own strength and it wasn't working out.  Due to the changing of stage sets, I could only send up a quick prayer for help before my attention had to be focused on muting and un-muting mics and instruments.  But, when I looked back up at the stage, this calm seemed to wash over me.  The sound eventually worked itself out.


During the last set, "I Lift My Hands" was played. Usually, the song "Amazing Grace/My Chains Are Gone" sends chills down my spine, but "I Lift My Hands" sent goosebumps over my arms.  You could hear the entire congregation singing along with the worship leader.


After Friday, everything returned back to its normal pace.  I woke up, groggy, to head to work, went home and worked on making my Amigurmi project, trucked back to Bel Air to walk the dog, then went back home for the rest of the night.  But, during the entire day, I was humming, "I Lift My Hands."  I just couldn't seem to get it out of my head!  (Not that I'm complaining, mind you)


Today, there were things that happened that further solidified my relationship with this song.  After church and lunch, I went back to finishing up my Amigurmi, but I turned on Pandora to a Christian Contemporary station.  What do you know, "I Lift My Hands" and "I Can Only Imagine" (a song I've had an attachment to since my days at Centrifuge with the Youth group) are the first of the few songs that played. 

"Blessings" was a song that I had started liking when WRBS-SHINE FM started playing it. Considering the friendships that I have recently let go of, this song quickly came as a small comfort. Then, this morning, "Blessings" was sung by someone who came to our church.  The whole congregation fell quiet as we listened to her.

I have found myself humming both tunes without thinking about it.  While these lyrics are hitting home right now, it isn't just about these lyrics.  It's about using these lyrics to further praise God for all that He has done, is doing, and will be doing.