God Gave a Song

** I interrupt this desert tale to notify you I've put up a new post over on the book blog. Hint! First speaking engagement! AND - there's another blog post unrelated to the desert below this one. Funny old picture of Bekah if you need a good laugh!**

I did, in fact, survive the rest of my vacation, and I returned to work. The day I returned to work, I knew in my heart that Isaac was struggling. I just knew his heart. And that night I poured out such fervent prayer in my journal that I cannot even bring myself to post the words. Isaac has not read them, but I feel to post them would be too raw for either of us, so I can't.

And what I'm going to talk about today is something I actually posted about before, but now that you know the rest of the story, you can appreciate it that much more.

Suffice it to say, even though I can't post that prayer, my heart was completely broken. Completely aching.

And right then came the Gaither concert. The concert I never would have gone to of my own accord, but my sister wanted to go so she could see Michael English. (Who, unfortunately, was not even there that night.) The concert we booked in January. Before I even met Isaac.

You can't tell me God isn't behind this stuff.

I posted a super extensive post about this concert back in May, complete with pictures, but tonight I want to post for you the three songs that spoke to me the most that night.

The first one was called The Promise, sung by the Martins. I'd never heard this song before, because the ONE album of theirs that I don't own is the one that contains this song. But sitting there in the audience, this one reduced me to tears. (And not pretty ones.) I posted the video that has the captions rolling so you can see the words, but the part that got me the most was the chorus, which says,

'Cause you know I made a promise that I intend to keep
My grace will be sufficient in your time of need
My love will be the anchor that you can hold onto
This is the promise, this is the promise I've made to you.
And in those words, I was reminded that my sweet Heavenly Father made a promise to me. And I gritted my teeth in the determination that He would be faithful to do as He said.



The second song that unexpectedly "got" me was Mark Lowry's song Make it Real. Normally I don't like this song (not peppy enough) but that night, it could have been my life story.

There must be some good reason why You brought me here
Through valleys where the shadows hover close
Down here there's a mask to cover every face
But Your sweet Face I long to see the most
So if You think there's just the slightest hope for me
In spite of all my questions and my doubts
Then let me hear Your still small Voice speak out my name
And let me know what others talk about.

And I needed just that. I needed to know God had not abandoned me in this wilderness.


When Mark sang that night, he worked part of this song into the one posted above, but I couldn't find it that way online. But this song made me literally sob in my seat, because it was one I'd learned not too many months before the desert began, and I'd been singing it to myself over and over in the recent days. I believe...help Thou my unbelief...I walk into the unknown...trusting...


And this last song, aside from being one of my favorites in general, was part of the birthday gift I'd given Isaac just weeks earlier. The lyrics were what I hoped he'd come to know and love about me.

I am His child and I am not afraid...I know how fear builds walls instead of bridges...When relationships demand commitment, then I'll be there to care and follow through...Your Kingdom come around and through and in me...Your power and glory, let them shine through me...Your hallowed name, oh may I bear with honor...and may Your living Kingdom come in me.


A simple concert. A night of entertainment. And yet completely ordained by God months in advance...all the way down to the song set and the girl sporting pink shirt and baggy capris down in the ninth row.

He doesn't miss a thing.