“Blessed Be Your name
When I’m found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed Be Your name…”
These are powerful words, from a powerful song. They echo a sentiment I learned the hard way... God is good. Even when things seem to be going so wrong. When pain has taken up residence in my heart. When tears sting my eyes at the most inopportune moments.
One of the first desert places in my adult life was at Vanderbilt UMC neo-natal intensive care unit. That's where my son was born. At 27 weeks gestation. That's about 3 months early. 2 pounds, 3 ounces. Quite possibly dying. But God was there. And I learned to bless His name at every stage. Whether gasping a prayer during a Brady event (breathing/heartbeat stops) or rejoicing over another 6 ounce weight gain. He was right there, walking through the desert with me. And His name was blessed.
When walking through the wilderness associated with the discovery of a potentially life threatening disease in the same child years later, He was still right there with me. And I'd learned enough by then to bless His name - even before I felt like it. The more I praised Him, the more I meant it, and the easier it got. What a relief it was to cast every burden on Him. And later to rejoice at His assurance that He would provide healing in a miraculous way. And He did. There are doctors from Kentucky to Boston still scratching their heads over that one.
I'm not naive enough to think - or even hope - that there will be no more desert or wilderness experiences. What I do know is that He is there through it all. Holding me. Comforting me. Loving me. Blessed be His name - forever and ever.
Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and for evermore. - Psalm 113:2
15 comments:
I love that when we praise Him, before we feel like it, that He gives us a heart that feels like praising Him. Bless you for sharing some of your wilderness with us.
I am blessed by your entry.
Take care :)
I can relate to this post very much. Mine was born 28 wks gestational...he was in the hospital for a month. Oh I can relate to this.
Thank you for writing it.
Thank you for sharing your wilderness story and how God was faithful to you. Blessings on you continued walk with Him through whatever comes your way...
God is SO good and He loves us to learn that. And praise Him in the midst of everything.
Thank you so much for sharing from your heart, Kimberly. You are right, it is not easy at first, but He will guide us as we continue to bless His name, because He is the only One worthy of our praises.
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on this week's IOW quote.
Blessings to you and yours.
Great post. Thanks for sharing from your heart. God is so good.
Blessings to you.
Beautiful!
I can so relate with you....it was not my son, but my grandson born 2 1/2 months early, with heart defect and lung disease. But God is to be praised! He is a rambunctious 4 year old! He still has problems, but we give all glory to God for the wilderness days that He "carried" us through....we were unable to walk w/o Him!
Your post reminded of that wonderful blessing of answered prayers in his life!
Thanks for sharing your testimony of faith!
Wow, you have such a powerful testimony! God is so good isn't He? Thanks for stopping by my blog!
Blessings
I can so relate...we have been through the desert of a premature birth and NICU, and it was such a learning and growing experience. Thank you for sharing.
What a blessing! Thank you for this!
Thanks for bringing out our need to *praise him before we feel like it*!!! So true.
Thanks for visiting my blog.
Thanks for the inspiration, or should I say kick in the pants :-) If we don't praise him the rocks and stones will cry out!! Thanks again!
I don't know if you remember or not when the DS preached on Hagar and Ishmael (sp??) ... It was in the wilderness where he became an expert with the bow. I love that! It's in the desert (wilderness) where He draws us closer to Him and when we come out of the desert into the Oasis .. or a yielding land ... we have become experts with the bow. We learned that no matter what happens, God is with us.
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