mercies in disguise

 I have been hearing this song on the radio for a while now. 

It speaks to the pains and disappointments we experience

 in this life and our response to them. 

It has caused me to reflect on how I handle difficulty

and whether my own response is faith-filled or doubt-filled.

The young woman who wrote and sings it is Laura Story. 

One year after she and her husband were married, 

he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. 

During the time of his surgery, radiation, complications, 

and intensive therapy, She has written songs that voice

her struggles and her faith as she lived through

 those difficult times with her husband.

Blessings is one of those songs. If you are hurting

or struggling or confused, I pray these words will encourage 

and comfort you.  Keep in mind that they come from

 one who has been in a very difficult place

 and has emerged with

more faith, more hope, more understanding.

Blessings

by Laura Story

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 aching 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