From Protest to Praise

I knew the times would come, and now the times have landed
With stinging abrasion...As ready as I seem to be
It's never like I planned it

I'm wrestling my thoughts I'm overcome
Would you give me up? I'm asking Lord
There's no where I sense Your presence here
So I will cry out, until I go
From protest to praise
You're always amazing me
You're changing me slow, but surely
And You're gonna see me to the end

How long will I be forgotten by You, forever?
'Cause you're not making sense here
Seems like eternity has made a home between us

I'm wrestling my thoughts I'm overcome
Would you give me up? I'm asking Lord
There's no where I sense Your presence here
So I will cry out, until I go
From protest to praise
You're always amazing me
You're changing me slow, but surely
And You're gonna see me to the end

You're changing me slow
I just can't help but see it that way
'Cause You're gonna see me...
From protest to praise
You're always amazing me
You're changing me slow, but surely
And You're gonna see me to the end

--"Protest to Praise" by Downhere

This has to be one of the more meaningful songs that I've come to know in my life. I picked it up at one of my first ventures into a Christian bookstore, and by chance, picked up this CD. Although the band and song are somewhat obscure, it's been a staple in how I've come to view many of my struggles and has pulled my thoughts toward God in some of the tougher and darker moments of my life. I'd recommend you check it out on iTunes if you ever get the chance (and have $.99 to spend).

And this comes to mind as I've recently learned a good friend hit some very, very difficult spots in his life. I won't go into the who or what in the blog, but it brings to light something pretty important about the Christian faith that may not get the attention it always deserves. I of course talk about suffering.

In no way do I wish to downplay or trivialize some of the horrors that many of us have faced in this life, but I can't shake the feeling that there's something God wants us to understand in the fire and the thorns. Jesus promises us eternal life, but he also makes a point that suffering will not be a stranger to us if we follow Him, and many of the epistles remind us extensively of it. Do a word search on 'suffer' in the New Testament--I did, and I was surprised. 1 Peter is one of my favorite books, but I never realized how much the word pops up in those short five chapters.

As for my brother, pray that he is not only comforted but emboldened to rejoice in those sufferings, and that God's glory is indeed revealed through this time.