The Wading Pool

Today at church, we sang “Blessed Be Your Name” by Matt Redman. The song has always been one of my favorite modern worship tunes. It is not a “make me feel goosebumps for Jesus” song. It’s the church repeating the cry of Job that what the Lord had given, He has the right to take away. It’s not ours…it’s all His anyway.

The song was a great reminder for Amanda and myself of the absolute goodness of God even when we were in the midst of dealing with the loss of a baby, and the possibility of never having a child. Each time we sing it I’m reminded not only of the fact that God has blessed us so abundantly with two beauiful girls, but also of what it was like to sing of His blessing even when it wasn’t easy to do.

So today, I thought specifically about those two little blessings that I have as we sang “every bossing You pour out I’ll turn back to praise.” I pray that my two daughters will be to the praise of His glory. I pray that their lives will be poured out in His service. It’s my job to tell them of His goodness and love, to pour into them all that I can of the absolute beauty and righteousness of the One True God, to tell them of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to see them turn their lives back into praise of Him.

It won’t always be clear. It won’t always be easy. I need to be like Job, rising early and pleading the mercy and grace of God over them each and every day in Christ Jesus. I need to be vigilant in prayer in private for them, and in public be telling them of All that He has done for them.

For how will they know to praise Him if I don’t tell them?