Blessed be His name . . .

Blessed be Your name in the land that is plentiful

Where Your streams of abundance flow, Blessed be Your name

And 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

And 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

And blessed be Your name on the road marked with suffering

Though there’s pain in the offering Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord Blessed be Your glorious name

You give and take away You give and take away

Still my heart will choose to say Lord, blessed be Your name

These lyrics to a song by a great band have been on my heart today. Sometimes things aren't the way that we would have made them to be if we were the Master Planner, isn't that right? Whether it's losing your health or losing your car keys, life doesn't always go the way we want it to. The choice comes in what to do with the bumps in the road of life, be they overwhelmingly large or tiny.

When the going gets tough, what is our response to God? Do we give praise to the Lord in all circumstances? I'll tell you from experience, that is not an easy, "natural" (from the aspect of a sin nature) thing to do. So many times, I have been thankful that God's grace is stronger than my faith, that He understands when my heart is weak, and lifts me when I fall. It also took me a long time to realize this. Sometimes He's all there is, and for that I'll say blessed be His name.

Often, He uses the weakest among us to bring the most glory to Him and to shine for Him most brightly. Everyone around that person knows that they can shine for no other reason (personal success, accomplishment, satisfaction with life, etc.), except from the love of the Lord. This has been the most amazing thing to see through my dad's cancer. There are all sorts of poems about what cancer can't take away: strength, dignity, purpose, the list goes on. In my experience, I have seen that the only thing cancer can't remove is the presence of the Lord in a person's life. Even after all is stripped away - memory, physical strength, coherence - a person's love for the Lord can still shine right through a deteriorating body.

As my dad continues fighting his cancer (through medicine, but mostly through faith), only the important things remain in his life: his love for God and his family. It's beautiful to see the things that, years ago at the beginning of his fight, fell away. He lost his desire for money, for personal fulfillment, for worldly fun, for the best material possessions, for independence, for knowledge. All that remains are family and the Lord. I rejoice for the gift of my dad and for the blessings that God will continue to pour through his life. I know that all things are possible through God. I also know that, whatever God gives us, we will choose to say "Blessed be Your name."

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

I Thessalonians 5:16-18