Today, I had a rare opportunity at my church. I was given the honor of singing at our Abundant Life luncheon. Abundant Life is the name our "senior adult" group at my church. I put quotation marks around senior adult because this isn't an old people group. These are precious, very active, loving and wise adults that meet once a month for good food (see my to go boxes?! Need I say more?!), great fellowship and an encouraging Word. I love this age group because the people in there range from my parents age to my grandparents age. You have a wide variety life experience in this group and many who wouldn't be where they are today were it not for the Lord. Oh, how I love to hear their stories. I may attempt to give to them through a song but I receive from them encouragement and joy to last me for weeks.
While singing isn't a rare occurrence getting to pick my own song to sing is. Being a member of a large church the solos that we sing are chosen for us and please don't misunderstand me, I love it. God always blesses me with a song that ministers to my heart in a way that I might not have known if it had been left to me to choose. So whenever I'm given the opportunity to pick my own song I have two or three that I immediately go to. And they are generally songs that our choir has done but were most likely sung by another soloist in our church. With that in mind, I couldn't sing any of those today! Ha! Instead I sang my favorite song. I found this song about 10 years ago, maybe even less than that, and fell in love with it. It has become the anthem for my life in many ways. It's my heart's cry. If there were one thing I would want people to remember about me or one message that I would want to leave people with, besides that Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation and spending eternity in Heaven, then this is it. "I Will Never Leave You Alone" by Janet Pashcal.
It's a wonder that I can even sing this song without crying. In the last 10 years, I have found myself in the wilderness so many times and experiencing things I prayed I wouldn't have to. Isn't that selfish of me? I've seen dreams shattered and I have absolutely questioned why. There have been days when I didn't think I could take any more but there I was getting out the bed the next morning because His mercies are new every morning and He was carrying me through. And many of you have walked beside me through those moments while some of you were ahead of me on the path and calling out encouragement to keep going! How I thank you for your love and support. The Lord placed each and every one of you in my life for specific reasons and He has used you in so many ways to bless me. But as thankful as I am for you, it wasn't until I realized that He was my sole source of comfort and I needed to seek His face first before coming to you. I believe I am finally learning what it means to let go of me (my need to be strong, "to have it all together", to be the fixer of my own problems and to seek everyone's advice first instead of His) in order to fully hold on to Him.
It's a step by step process and I stumbled today but He was there patiently waiting to pick me back up again. And how thankful I was to fall into His embrace and receive the peace that only He can give. He's the sole supplier for all my soul's needs and that's something that I can rest in. Aren't you thankful for this promise that He will never leave us nor forsake us?!
"So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you." Deuteronomy 31:6
I love you all!
Blessings ...
- Melody Faith
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