Blessings

I have just finished reading, 'When God Doesn't Fix It' by Laura Story.

In the early stages of this journey, it didn't feel like God was 'fixing it' for Joshua: 

I prayed that Joshua's stomach problem would go away - it didn't
I prayed he wouldn't need surgery - he did
I prayed the surgery would be quick and simple - it wasn't
I prayed there would be no cancer - there was
I was so grateful we initially didn't have to go to Brisbane, if I'd thought of it I would have prayed to stay in Cairns - we didn't.

For those of you who haven't read the book, Laura Story's husband was diagnosed with a brain tumour. He survived, but there is no cure for his short-term memory loss, vision loss and other complications.

She asks the question, "What if there are blessings that God offers that are greater than just a pain free life?" These are hard things to grapple with. I know there is truth in it, but it is not an easy one to accept. It's the kind of thing you are happy for other people to experience but not sure if you want to go through it yourself! She wrote the song 'Blessings', which you may or may not have heard. I think it's very powerful. You can find it on YouTube.


Blessings

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we have faith to believe

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near
And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
It's not our home

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the achings of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise