I had the opportunity to sing a duet at church this week. I gathered up three of our extremely talented youth group kiddos to sing and play with me. I chose Carry Me to the Cross for us to sing/play. Here are the lyrics:
When the path is daunting
And every step exhausting
I'm not alone, I'm not alone
No, No
I feel You draw me closer
All these burdens on my shoulder
I'm not alone
I'm not alone
You call me from this place
Hallelujah
You carry me every day
You carry me all the way
Hallelujah
You carry me to the
You carry me to the cross
How Your love has moved me
To the foot of all Your glory
I'm not alone
I'm not alone
I'm not alone
Hallelujah
You carry me every day
You carry me all the way
Hallelujah
You carry me to the
You carry me to the cross
All of these cities You have built
And every cathedral You have filled
To all of creation You gave life with Your hands
And with those hands You comfort me
Lift me up from my knees and carry me
You carry me
Hallelujah
You carry me every day
You carry me all the way
Hallelujah
You carry me to the
You carry me to the cross
The cross
You carry me to the
You carry me to the cross
I love this song because it's so encouraging when we're going through trials. James 1:2-4 says, " Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." When we face trials, we can be encouraged that God uses them to make us more like Him. He tears away the idols in our heart, so our heart can be filled with Him. We are called to be steadfast in our faith and turn to God always, but especially through trials. This song is a great reminder that it's not in our sinful nature to want to move to God. He calms our fears, takes up our burdens, and carries us to the cross. He reminds us how much He loves and cares for us through the sacrifice of His son for our sins. No matter what we're going through, we can cling to the cross for freedom from our sins, relief from our burdens, and comfort for our pain. And as crazy as it sounds to the world, through the pain and suffering we become stronger. God makes us stronger than we ever could have imagined. We become living examples of the grace and mercy of God. He uses us for His glory. Again, that sounds crazy to the world. God sounds selfish, right? He allows us to go through pain for His glory? Even our sinful nature sometimes tries to convince us of the injustice of it all. But then we remember that we're talking about the Creator of the universe. Not only did He create everything (EVERYTHING!) with mere words, but He's also the Lord of all of it. Who are we to expect anything from Him? We are sinful, evil people. Yet, He loves us and wants to have a relationship with us. The Creator and Lord of all wants to know us! But that's not all. He also wants to make us more like Him. "Perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." If He created us, why would He want to change us? Because we are sinners, who cannot be in His presence. The perfect and holy God of the universe cannot stand sin. Nothing that is unclean or unholy can be in His presence. So God not only wants to have a relationship with us, but He also wants to draw us close to Him and have us in His presence for eternity. How amazing! We are so undeserving of all of these things! Therefore, when we face trials of various kinds, we count it all joy, as James says. We are joyful because we know God is using the trials for His glory and our good.
Joy is different than happiness. Happy is superficial. It's not long lasting. It's momentary. "I'm happy that it rained today." Joy is focusing on God's blessings. I can find joy in all things because I know that I get to spend eternity with God because of Jesus' sacrifice for my sins. No matter what you're going through, that will bring you joy, if you have that promise from God. So through this trial in my life, I am joyful. Joyful in God's promises. Joyful in His plans for my life. His ways are infinitely better than mine. His plans are always perfect. Mine are littered with flaws and imperfections due to my sinful nature and selfishness. I find joy, comfort, and peace knowing that He has the perfect plans for my life. Plans to bring Him glory and plans for my good, in that order. He is using my situation for His glory. Wow! The God of all things is using me for His glory! What an honor! So we take joy in our trials. We're thankful that He carries us to the cross every day.
I made a video with the recording of our duet and pictures from our trip to Colorado this summer. I pray that you are blessed by it.
