CRISIE HUTCHINGS

What do you do when you’ve lost your song? I’m not talking about losing your iPod or MP3 player. Nor is this a case of not having time to get your praise on before work in the morning. I am talking about losing the song of your heart. You can’t hear the music anymore. You don’t feel the hope of your future. You have suffered disappointment so great that your heart isn’t singing anymore. Oh, you try and once in a while, with prodding, you can engage in song here and there. But you’ve noticed that you don’t randomly break out in song on your own?

You’ve stopped humming……smiling on the inside.

You’ve become indifferent to most everything.

There is no melody of your life playing anymore and everyone around you knows it. They can see it on your face and hear it in your vocal inflections. You feel death in your heart. Perhaps this describes the day to day temperature of your heart. Cold. Broken. Unengaged.

You may label it grief or depression but whatever you call it, understand that it is a condition that is common to all mankind. Although it invokes feelings of condemnation and guilt, it comes with it, a great cloud of witnesses. So consider yourself in good company if you are there. And know that there is consolation.

David, Elijah and many others who walked with God experienced the silence of their songs to the point that they doubted God and wanted to run, hide, even die. David asked God in Psalm 13, “will you forget me forever”? David felt forgotten, abandon by God because of the trials and enemies that were attacking him.

Elijah, terrified by a threat from Jezebel, ran for his life in 1 Kings 19: 3 and went into the wilderness and prayed that he might die in verse 4. I would say they both had lost their song.

And then there’s Job, who lost everything, including his children, Job 1:13-19. And on top of that, it appeared that God was party to the disaster in that He allowed Satan to have power over all that Job had, Job 1:12. How’s that for disappointment?

What disappointment have you suffered? What great heartache, pain or situation is playing over and over again in your mind and in your life?

If you are there, then you have probably lost your song. God let you down. A loved one diagnosed with a terminal illness. You personally suffering  a chronic physical or emotional condition. A friend passed away after massive prayer, fasting and believing God. You lost a child or spouse and can’t seem to get your life back. Facing a financial hardship or relationship failure. You fill in the blank with your situation. He promised you this and you got that instead. The reality of your life and experience is not matching the scripture verse He gave you and you’re having a hard time reconciling the two.

These are all tremendous losses in life and with loss comes grief. Each situation bringing it’s own degree of sadness. What do you do? How do you respond?

Simple. You worship.

Not easy! But simple.

Job tore his clothes when he heard the news about his children and then…..he worshiped. Job 1:20

David poured out his complaint before the Lord, Ps. 142:2, lifted his prayers and hands like incense & sacrifice, Ps 141: 2…..he worshiped.

Elijah cried out to God in his agony and fear, allowed God to minister to him and he stood before the Lord to listen, 1 King 19: 4-13….he worshiped.

One of the greatest expressions of worship is in our trust when all hell is breaking loose or when we’ve experienced great disappointment. We don’t have to even speak or conjure up great prayers before God and most of the time in these situations we can’t. Our strength is gone, our hope waning and all we can do is weep and sit in silence.

This is our worship to God. This tells him, “I don’t understand, and I don’t know what to do, but my eyes are on you”. It communicates, “I need you God and You are my only hope.” This is worship from the deepest place. This is Jesus’ worship to the Father in the garden. Peter’s worship in tears and weeping when he denied Jesus. This is worship in spirit and truth. This is radical worship.