Thankful Thursday...Glorious Hope

Anyone remember this book? :-)  My grandmother bought it for me many, many years ago, and for years in our family we used the title to express that we were having "one of those days"...you know the kind...where nothing goes right and you want to dig a hole to China and crawl in it?  "It's time to move to Australia" became a code phrase for "It's been an awful day and I'm at the end of my rope."  

Yesterday was an Alexander day.  I was more than ready to move to Australia...or New Zealand...or some remote island village no one has ever even heard of.  We were trying to get back into our routine after a week of kids with the flu...light cases, thanks to rather odd circumstances causing us to all have been prescribed with preventative doses of Tami-Flu, but the flu nonetheless.  It didn't help that we had started a new schedule just a couple of days before the flu hit...so we had strung out that not-so-fun transition stage to the point of intense frustration for everyone.  One thing after another all day piled on until we were all in horrible moods as we drove to church that evening.  

Church brought the first real bright spot of the day...a meeting with one of our children and our pastor...but I was still feeling a great deal of tension as my children had extra responsibilities that night, and other things weren't quite going as planned.  I dropped into my chair at choir rehearsal, thankful to be there, as it was only my second or third rehearsal since our Christmas music in mid-December, but not sure I had the energy to hold my music and actually sing.  

As usual, I began to relax as I became immersed in the music we were singing, but there was still a bit of lingering anxiety...wondering how things were going on the other end of the choir loft with my daughter who was serving as "page turner" for our pianist for the first time, and worrying about an ill friend.  Then we started a new song, and it was all I could do to keep the tears at bay as we sang:

There's a peace I've come to know, though my heart and flesh may fail.

There's an anchor for my soul, I can say, it is well.

Jesus has overcome and the grave is overwhelmed.

The victory is won, He is risen from the dead.  

And I will rise when He calls my name, 

No more sorrow, no more pain. 

I will rise when on eagles wings, 

Before my God, fall on my knees and rise; I will rise.

There's a day that's drawing near, when this darkness breaks to light

And the shadows disappear and my faith shall be my eyes.

...

And I hear the voice of many angels sing: "Worthy is the Lamb!"

And I hear the cry of every longing heart: "Worthy is the Lamb!"

~ Chris Tomlin, Matt Maher, Jesse Reeves, and Louie Giglio

It wasn't the first time I had heard it, by any means, but somehow the process of actually singing it seared the words on my heart in a new way.  And perhaps the very "terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day" that we had had caused it to hit me in a different way as well.  As we sat there singing, I thought about very visible signs in our lives of the victory He has won.   Satan has tried *hard* to destroy our family...especially our children...in recent years through circumstances way worse than "terrible, horrible, no good, very bad" Alexander days.  And yet just that very night, we had sat in Bro. Kent's office talking about the glorious work God had done in the life of one of our children, and I was at that moment watching another of our children excitedly beginning her first real "ministry" opportunity at church.  

I realized as I sat there singing and trying to hold back tears that God was fulfilling the promise I had begun clinging to back in July of 2006 for our girls and for our whole family: 

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD,

 "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 

Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."

~Jeremiah 29:11-13

He has a plan for our girls, a plan for all of our children, a plan for our whole family.  He is working that plan even now, and He is allowing us to see glimpses of the fulfillment of those promises.  I also realized, again, what God has been reinforcing over and over these last few years...that our greatest hope is found in these words from that song...

And I hear the voice of many angels sing: "Worthy is the Lamb!"

And I hear the cry of every longing heart: "Worthy is Lamb!"

Because the Lamb is worthy, we have hope not only in this life with all of it's struggles, but for Eternity.  I am so thankful for that hope!  

As I was writing this this morning, I searched for a video of "I Will Rise" to post with this song.  Those who know me know that I love the "stories behind the songs".  I came across this video of Chris Tomlin sharing the story behind "I Will Rise", and had to share it here.   Wow.  

I'm linking up with Laurie today for Thankful Thursday.  Thanks to Laurie for hosting this month!