Lessons I'm Learning - Part Seven (Sing)

God's been teaching me this one for awhile. When I don't feel like it, I have to sing. I even made a tea mug to remind me. Out of the blue, a friend of mine sent me a necklace in December. She didn't really know why she was supposed to send it to me, but God must have known.

Then we sang a song in choir at church simply titled "Sing." (I confess I didn't really like the song at first...but it did grow on me.) One morning, in the midst of my anxiety and the unknown, I heard that same song on the radio when my alarm went off...I had never heard it on the radio before, but it must have been placed on that station at that time just for me...a reminder to sing.

So, while "Sing" has been the command God keeps giving...He has been whispering another word: "Hope." I was given a farewell gift of a stuffed pig from one of my students. I brought it home and was telling someone that she needed a name. I thought it would be appropriate to name the pig after the student who gave it to me. I was asked, "What was her name?" The answer: Hope. What a fitting name. Since then, God keeps whispering "Hope" in my ear...I don't know if that's hope for me, or hope that I should bring to my new situation (or maybe both!?!)

A few weeks ago, we sang a new song at church. It was catchy...I liked it...that was about it.

I'm no longer surprised that God speaks to me first thing in the morning through the song on my radio alarm...but I've moved past the point of listening for a little bit before hitting the snooze button. This week brought another major setback in my situation. The next day, in the 2.7 seconds it took me to hit the snooze button, I heard these words: "The peace that passes understanding is my song." Those words got stuck in my head all day. I remembered the melody to the rest of the song, but couldn't remember the words. I also figured that since I just recently heard the song at church, it would be a few more weeks before I'd hear it again.

I was wrong. That song was in this morning's worship service. Tears streamed down my face as I sang these words:

My hope is in You Lord, all the day long
I won't be shaken by drought or storm
A peace that passes understanding is my song
and I sing my hope is in You alone

I found two different YouTube videos when I came home. The first simply shows the lyrics.



The second comes with a tissue advisory:



Sometimes our trials don't have happy endings. I just pray that God is being glorified through mine.