May 25, 2006
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Crazy busy this week……
Blessed be your name
In the land that is plentiful
Where the streams of abundance flow
Blessed be your name
Blessed be your name
When I’m found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed be your name
Every blessing you pour out,
I turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say…
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your glorious name
Blessed be your name
When the sun’s shining down on me
When the world’s all as it should be
Blessed be your name
Blessed be your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there’s pain in the offering
Blessed be your name
Every blessing you pour out,
I turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say…
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your glorious name
You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, Blessed be your name
lyrics by Matt and Beth Redman
An extract from forthcoming book by Matt and Beth Redman
´Blessed Be Your Name: Worshipping God on the Road Marked with Suffering´ .
A few weeks after 9/11, we wrote the worship song ´Blessed be Your Name´. It wasn´t written consciously in response to those dark events, but no doubt being immersed in the spiritual and emotional climate of those days was an important factor in birthing it. Many people ask if there was a particular life event which triggered off the writing of this song, and in all truth the answer is no. It´s really a song born out of the whole of ´life´, a realisation that we will all face seasons of pain or unease. And in these seasons we will need to find our voice before God. The church (and indeed the world) needs its songs of lament.
The people of God have always had their laments. The Psalms are filled with a whole host of intense emotions and expressions towards God. So many of them were birthed in times of suffering and struggle. Psalm 3 was written as King David fled for his life from his own son Absalom. Psalm 56 was inspired when the Philistines seized him in Gath. In Psalm 57 he´s on the run again, this time from King Saul, and wrote the song whilst hiding in a cave. These are songs formed in the fire of affliction. They are the desperate cries of a worshipper on the road marked with suffering. In fact, Eugene Peterson estimates that around 70% of content in the Psalms is lament-based.
Clearly therefore, songs of lament are a very biblical thing to sing in worship. Yet they are also a relevant thing to sing, for we live in a world full of anguish and heartache. As Christians, yes we live in victory, but in paradox we also exist as strangers in a foreign land, aching for home, and knowing deep within us that the world we see before is not as it should be. So the question is this: if songs of lament are firstly thoroughly biblical, and secondly extremely relevant, then why on earth are there not more songs to help us voice these heart-cries? As Frederich W. Schmidt Jr writes, these Psalms do three things:
´They give us permission to ask our own questions about suffering. They model the capacity to ask questions we might otherwise suppress, but can never escape. And they model how those questions might be asked without fear of compromising our relationship with God or with other people.´
Matt and Beth Redman.
(from mattredman.com)
Comments (16)
Happened to be eating cereal and reading my xanga…when your post came up. I’m praying for the Lord to comfort you through all this, and I ask you to pray for me — I need a couple of outright interventions and miracles as I face a crossroads in my life. God bless you, and yes, indeed, blessed be the name of our Lord. Gerrie
Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his strength, who trusts in His providence, His goodness and mercy, His kindness and His wisdom.
Blessed is the man who loves and trusts God above all and in spite of all. This is the faith that overcomes the world. This is the faith of the pure in heart, the faith of Job, of Daniel in the lion’s den and the boys in the fiery furnace. This is the faith of Jesus Christ, and all who did not shrink from suffering, but submit themselves in humble trust to the will of God.
And even when evil comes, outside the will of God, they love and trust Him still, knowing that it is He whom they love and trust who shines His Light in the darkness, brings good out evil, and even raises the dead to life.
Blessed be the Lord Our God, whose tender mercies are over all His works.
Blessed be His name forever.
RYC: Thank you for your kind words. I can’t wait to see the poem when you write it.
You have a good heart.
Blessings.
Beautiful pic.
I pray you have a good weekend..
hugs,
lucy
Ps
no slide show?
Amen and Amen.
The Psalms are wonderful; my favorite part of the Bible, I think, that and Luke.
For some reason your post came up as “new” in my subscriptions again this evening. This time your post brought to mind the words of Romans 8:18: “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (then later in verse 24 he says “we are saved by hope”, etc.). And there are many scriptures that speak of our sadness being turned to joy. So we can take heart through trials, that “this too, shall pass.” Blessings to you this weekend, Gerrie
Incredible song. Thanks for sharing the facts about how it was written
Heather
Well, the last couple years this very song has been the song of my life. He has used it over and over again, in fact I don’t even know how many times Jim. I even got to see it live one time last summer at SWC. There are things that happen that are so hard, and this song, even though it is a lament, is a song that looks beyond the place we are in, to something better and purer and sweeter. I pray He uses it to help your heart sing.
karry
I always like to know how songs come about from hymns to current songs, thanks…Mike
I’m liking this post! you know, I like the history of hymns and songs, and it is good to hear the story behind this song I find comfort in singing. Thanks!
Just catching up ..and just now read your post regarding your son…I am so sorry. My best friend is suppose to be deployed in July as well…the 9th…she has four kids as well….I dont get why the kids are not going to live with you?? *shakes her head* so sorry….
ryc: thanks for your kind comments
Thanks for all the encouraging comments
…SO, how is Jim??
I pray you are doing well..
Hugs,
lucy
This is a great post!! I love this song and I listen to it everyday! And thanks for sharing contents from the book! I totally agree with their views on Pslams.
Thanks once again and have a nice day! Be blessed, bro. =)
Kenneth