Praise You in This Storm

I was sure by now
God You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say "Amen"
and it's still raining
As the thunder rolls
I barely hear
You whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God
Who gives and takes away

Chorus:I'll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
Every tear I've cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I remember when
I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry
You raised me up again
My strength is almost gone
How can I carry on
If I can't find You
As the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God
Who gives and takes away

I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The Maker of Heaven and Earth
-song by Casting Crowns

Undeniably, today was the hardest day yet. This is the third Sunday since I left Munchkin on her Big Trip and, while I am positive she is having a great time with her dad and is in good hands; I am not so sure I am. ::laugh::

Don't get me wrong; I am accomplishing that which I set out to do: stay so busy I hardly have time to eat, much less mope about Munchkin. It's just these times when the house is all quiet and I know that, with the exception of the cats, I am alone that get to me.

So, back to today - church is a special thing that Munchkin and I share. She enjoys going to church almost as much as I do, I think. So, it is easy to really miss sharing that with her.

Today, I filled in for one of the regular teachers in her Sunday School class. You know, last Sunday when he asked me, I said yes without thinking how it would feel to be around so many Munchkin-sized kids without her there. Yeah, it sucked. I was really ready to go home and sleep off my sour mood.

Today, in bible study, we began reading Job. You know, it seems appropriate too. I've never really liked the book of Job because so much of it is in poetry form and I find poetry very tedious. But, the study was led today by someone other than our "regular" leaders and I hear it was a good class. He posed the question, "is there something in your life that, if taken away, would severely distress you? How do you think YOU would respond?"

At that question, I began thinking. The answer is obvious. Munchkin. She is the apple of my eye and her absence has taken some of the shine off of my worship. I've walked around in either a frantic rush or a form of suspended animation. My activities seem to lack the fervor that they should. My praise this morning was half-hearted because the other half of my heart is on her Big Trip.

No, I don't think it is wrong to miss my little girl. BUT, I do think there is something to be said for being able to praise God for what He's doing in spite of the separation. Perhaps God is using this temporary separation from Munchkin to teach Mommy some lessons about where my heart truly lies and how easy it is to take something and turn it into the object of our devotion. Hmm...

So, as much as Job bores me to tears with all of his waxing and waning verses, I think I shall read how a man honored by God handles turmoil.

Meanwhile, play rehearsals have begun and I have rehearsal every night this week. ::whew:: I did say I wanted to stay busy.