When I was in high school, my friends, two sisters, were to be baptized in our church. Their mother, Catholic, was not happy about it. That is an understatement. She literally took down every family portrait in their home and placed it on the ground, facing the wall. Their home, which I spent many days, was no longer a display of a happy family. The hurt their mom was experiencing was visual for all who entered to see.
Though, when the time came for my friends to be baptized, they entered the baptism waters with confidence. That song, (Shout to the Lord, all the earth let us sing, power and majesty, Praise to the King! Mountains bow down and the sea will roar, at the sound of your name! I sing for joy at the work of Your hands. Forever I'll love you, forever, I'll stand. Nothing compares to the promise I have in You.) was playing during their baptism.
I remember balling when I saw my friends being baptized. I don't think I fully understood the confidence they had in Christ, but rather, was overwhelmed with the hurt I knew they were processing to be there. And in my adulthood, I acknowledge that even more. Following Christ can come with massive persecution, isolation, withdrawal, banishment, and the like. For those of us who call Jesus our Savior, we know this, and our confidence in the plan is what can keep us connected. We need people around us to support us, and I'm happy to add that forgiveness did happen eventually, and the family portraits went back up on the walls.
I think the Spirit has a way of recalling memories and music to connect back to the emotions that we need to have in the front of our minds. The gift of music can do that for us. Some of my favorites are:
Waymaker, by Pat McClure
So Will I by Hillsong
It is Well by Bethel Music
In Over My Head by Jenn Johnson
What are some of your go-to songs to remember to trust God's plan?
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