"Through It All"

 

“Through It All”

 

A few weeks ago my daily Bible reading brought me to Jeremiah 20. God’s prophet had been beaten and imprisoned for speaking God’s message of judgment. In Verses 7-19 Jeremiah pours out his heart in complaint to God for his plight, mentioning that he felt God had deceived him, his being ridiculed and insulted, his being watched so his shortcoming could be reported and even expressing grief that he’d been born. He likely felt useless and wanted out.

I echoed Jeremiah’s thoughts during a very difficult fourteen year period of my life. It was a time of major struggle and uncertainty with a similar range of emotions as the prophet had experienced more than 2500 years previously. But God brought me and my family through it all in extraordinary ways of provision and encouragement through the prayers and presence of many godly people and especially Karen’s love and support. The words from Jeremiah in Lamentations 3:22-23 proved true: “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Emphasis added). In the words of a youth group chorus of decades ago, “The road may be long but my Savior is strong, and He holds my hand.”

In the midst of his expressing his grievances to God Jeremiah writes, “Sing to the Lord! Give praise to the Lord! He rescues the life of the needy from the hands of the wicked.” (Verse 13). Even in his darkest moment the prophet recognizes God’s presence and work in his life. Similarly in my lowest time God spoke to me through Andrae Crouch’s wonderful song, “Through It All”:

“I’ve had many tears and sorrows I’ve had questions for tomorrow

There’s been times I didn’t know right from wrong

But in every situation God gave me blessed consolation

That my trials come to only make me strong

 

“I’ve been to many places I’ve seen a lot of faces

But there were times that I felt so all alone

But in my lonely hours Yes, those precious lonely hours

Jesus lets me know that I was His own

 

“So I thank God for the mountains And I thank Him for the valleys

And I thank Him for the storms He’s brought me through

For if I’d ever had a problem I’d never know that God could solve them

I’d never know what faith in God could do

 

“Through it all Through it all I’ve learned to trust in Jesus I’ve learned to trust in God

Through it all Through it all I’ve learned to depend upon His Word”

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan