Music Monday: “Praise You In This Storm” by Casting Crowns
by: Debbie Waltz
When I sat down to write the song for “Music Monday,” I did not know what to do. After all, I didn’t have any suggestions in my toolbox of songs that fit my last week of activities. It wasn’t bad; it was just a hectic week. For those who just stumbled upon this blog, Pjnet.tv interviewed me regarding my recent submission for the book l Room At the Table: Encouraging Stories For Special Needs Families and my disability outreach. Things went well, but my nervousness got the best of me. As a result, I focused on calming myself down and answering sentences without making a full out of myself rather than focusing on what God put on my heart. The time flew by, and before I knew it, it was over.
I can only hope what I said (despite the rambling) touched people’s hearts because God wanted it to. Fast-forward to Wednesday; I know I didn’t write on my blog like usual because I was preparing for the Interview. After that, I realized I had nothing ready for the “Faithful Friday” post; then it occurred to me I hadn’t given my opinion on the conversation with “Little James.”
This episode struck a chord with other disabled advocates like Joni Eareckson Tada and Nick Vujicic, and me. It spoke to us differently because we all have had unique experiences growing up with disabilities. For Nick, it was struggling to fit in, so much so he tried committing suicide as a child because he didn’t see God’s purpose in making him disabled. For Joni, It’s been a daily struggle of constant pain and wondering why. From a very early age, she battled her demons and realized the value of spiritual healing rather than just physical. She knows what it’s like to question and has faced her questioning head-on, learning to rely on Jesus instead.
As part of the disabled community, our reasons for joining the advocacy fight may differ. But the reasons remain the same.
1.) We want to show people they’re not alone in their struggles. People find it easier to relate to those in similar circumstances. We want to provide them with physical and spiritual healing-the kind only Jesus can provide.
2.) We want to give the disabled the necessary resources to continue living productive and everyday lives.
3. ) We want to ensure Christians who encounter difficulties that don’t get healing right away lack faith; it just means God has another purpose for their difficulty. Most times, the circumstance teaches us something about ourselves or Jesus.
This doesn’t make our lives any easier but gives us hope for the future, whether physical healing here on earth or when we get to heaven. For more on Joni or Nick’s perspective, please go to:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CmzSKdmDQLj/
OR
This brings me to today’s “Music Monday” of “Praise You Through This Storm.” by Casting Crowns. It is biblically based on Job 1:21, which says, “.. And said: ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked. I will depart. The Lord gave in the Lord is taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised'” (NIV) Like me, this song believes that we learn more about God and his faithfulness by encountering difficult circumstances.