I was listening this morning to the song, “Blessed Be the Name of the Lord” and suddenly I was singing, weeping and raising my hands in Worship to God all by myself as the powerful message of the words impacted me as never before.

Blessed Be Your Name
In the land that is plentiful
Where Your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be Your name

Blessed Be Your name
When I’m found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed Be Your name

Every blessing You pour out, I’ll
Turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

Blessed be Your name
When the sun’s shining down on me
When the world’s ‘all as it should be’
Blessed be Your name

Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there’s pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name

Every blessing You pour out I’ll
Turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say…Blessed by the name of the Lord…

You give and take away, You give and take away,

My heart will choose to say, Lord, blessed by Your name…

(words by Matt Redman)

Those lyrics just got to me this morning!  The entire song acknowledges that our journey on earth is not an easy one.  There are challenges, tribulations and pain along the way, yet we are to praise God in the midst of our trials.

I don’t know about my readers, but there are times when a Worship song seems to line up with my life circumstances so profoundly that I believe God purposed I hear that particular song at just the right time to encourage me or to encourage others. I especially was impacted with this verse:

“Blessed be Your Name,

On the road marked with suffering

Though there’s pain in the offering

Blessed be Your Name.”

Each of those lyrics aligns with Scripture:

Blessed be Your name                                     (Job 1:21)

On the road marked with suffering            (Job 13:15, Acts 5:41, Romans 5:3, Romans 8:18, 2 Corinthians 1:5, Philippians 1:29, Philippians 3:8,10, 2 Timothy 1:8, 2 Timothy 2:3, 2 Timothy 4:5, 1 Peter 2:19, 1 Peter 3:14, 1 Peter 4:12-13, 1 Peter 5:9)

Though there’s pain in the offering            (Job 1:20, Psalm 51:17)

Blessed be Your name                                     (Job 2:10, Lamentations 3:38)

I have several friends now who are going through seasons of “suffering”.  One has recently lost eight family members to the horrific church shootings in Sutherland Springs.  At the memorial service that my husband attended, though grief was fresh, there was an outpouring of praise for God’s goodness and mercy. Pastor Pomeroy, who lost his precious fourteen year old daughter in the shooting, despite his own personal suffering, gave the eulogy for his friends and congregants, delivering a Gospel message that my husband said was both powerful and convicting. There was no doubt that there was “pain in the offering”, but this is a Pastor and congregation that models their strong faith despite great suffering.

I have a young friend, a mother of three young children, who is fighting Stage 4 Breast Cancer. Although that road is marked with suffering, she perseveres through her treatments by giving the Glory to God in all things and being joyful in her circumstances. She is a hero to her friends and family as she models stamina, courage and unwavering faith. Blessed be the Name of the Lord!

A precious woman from our church posted a picture of her husband on Facebook the other day. He was curled up fast asleep on their couch and she had written, “Don’t leave me, my love.” His battle with cancer is nearly over. Short of God’s miraculous intervention, she will soon face life without him. How does one say, “Good-bye?”

As Christians, we are not immune to suffering and hardship. Yet we face the ills of the world from a different perspective than those who are not Christ followers. We are heaven-minded. Our road marked with suffering here on earth is short-lived, even miniscule, that has no comparison to the pain-free, glorious eternity we are promised in Heaven when we are saved in Christ.

Does it negate our sorrows now, or the grief and pain we experience while walking these difficult pathways here on Earth?

No.

“Though there’s pain in the offering”… we are called to persevere, endure, and continue to give Glory to God! We CHOOSE to say:

“Blessed Be the Name of the Lord!”

Amen!