never alone – Song Dive

That’s Enough

The next entry for my Blog is That’s Enough, which was written by Brandon Heath, Mallary Hope, and Molly Reed. It was first released April 22, 2022. A link to Brandon Heath singing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.

That’s Enough

Mind if I tell you a secret
A few simple truths about me
Might be hard to believe
Guess I’m just trying to come clean

Sometimes I don’t know where I’m going
It’s hard to admit where I’ve been
When I come to the end of myself
This is where I begin, again

I am here
I am loved
God is good
And that’s enough

I don’t know your situation
What kind of story you’re in
If you’re high on that mountain
Or down in the valley again

You might be holding your baby
You might be holding a drink
You might be holding a secret
That’s getting harder to keep

But you are here
You are loved
God is good
And that’s enough

And I am here
I am loved
God is good
And that’s enough

It’s okay if I don’t have the answers
It’s okay to be right where you are
It was patience and kindness and love
That got us this far

You are here
And you are loved
God is good

And I am here
I am loved
God is good
And that’s enough

He is here
He is love
God is good
And that’s enough

How many of us have secrets? My guess is that all of us have something deep inside of us that we have never shared or have only shared with a select few people. Sometimes, we just need to share one or more of these closely guarded secrets because they are tearing us apart inside. People who are close to us and people who are casual acquaintances may know us only by our exterior persona, but they have no idea what we may be struggling with deep inside. My wife accuses me of hiding things in various vaults in my head, where they can never be found. With all of this being said, most of us reach a time where we just need to bare our soul regarding some of the things going on in our lives and our past that we have been reluctant to share.

In this song, I believe the singer has reached the point where he just has to talk to someone, because it is tearing him up on the inside and has been hidden by that façade we many times hide behind. I believe all of us are in this situation and the time comes where we just need to come clean. Maybe you invite someone or a few friends to grab a cup or coffee or a drink with you. As you sit there, you start to explain how you are not the person you appear to be. The person or people you are talking to have always viewed you as someone who has it all together. Perhaps you are the one seemingly always loving life, with everything going your way. Perhaps it is your demeanor, maybe it is how many friends you have, your successful career, how much money you appear to have, or perhaps your perfect family. As you start to tell your true story, the people with you become speechless as they hear what has really been going on inside of you. They start to understand that maybe your entire life has been a trainwreck and you have kept it hidden behind a well-developed façade. Your best friends start hearing about your childhood as part of a broken family, how your marriages have failed, how you are deep in debt, and that your entire life has been a failure. For you, success has been temporary and fleeting as your inner secrets continue to take over your mind and distract from the life you want to live. It is almost as if you have been hanging off of a cliff, were able to pull yourself back up; and then start hanging off a different cliff as life beats you down again. I realize I have painted a picture of gloom and doom, but I truly believe there is a little bit of this in all of us and a lot of this in many of us. I believe that the people who just heard you bear your soul were handpicked by God for this point of time in your life.

It is in our weakest moments when we turn to the only place where we have unconditional love and this is from God and his son Jesus; he never leaves our side. In our darkest moments as we reach out to him, he is with us. He tells us this in Matthew 28:20, “And lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” As the singer of this song tells his sad sad story, God stops him and says “I am here”, you are never alone. Note that God does not say he is there for a period of time, he says he will be there always. The bible also tells in the book of John 3:16, “that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son to die for us.” How much more can someone love you, than to give up their only child for you? Yes, God is good and he has made sacrifices for us and promises to us that will last for eternity. God has to remind us sometimes that he is here, that he loves us, and that we will care for us. With God saying he is with us always and then he gave the life of his son for us, I say that’s enough.

We never know or even completely understand someone else’s story or situation, but I believe everyone has their own personal challenges in life. All of us probably get on that mountain top from time to time, only to slide back down into the valley; but God is always there with his hand out ready to pick us up yet one more time. We all have something to hide, maybe it is something associated with your family, maybe you have a problem with drinking or drugs, you can never keep a job, or maybe you just feel as if your entire life is coming unraveled and your secrets are becoming more and more difficult to keep within your façade. The real question the song seems to ask, is where does God fit into your life? The answer is to let him into your heart, he is waiting for you to invite him in. Once you allow God into your life, you start to put your trust in him since you should know that he holds the future. We don’t have to always understand why things have happened to us, but God only focuses on our future; he is not concerned about our past. Once we accept his son Jesus as our personal savior, our past is forgotten and we become white as snow on the inside. We may never understand why we have had these challenges in our life, but it is important to understand that God puts the right people by our side at various stages in our life for a purpose. These are people we can talk to about our burdens and maybe help us to find our way out of the darkness. He is simply waiting for us to reach out our hand and place it into his and feel his power, his glory, and peace that only he can bring.

It is really ok not to know all of the answers and God will be with us regardless of where we go in our lives. The song says it is God’s patience, kindness, and love that has gotten us this far. God is good, God is here, and that is enough.

Click to Hear Brandon Heath Sing That’s Enough

Same Power

The Gospel

God is in this Story

The next entry for my Blog is God is in this Story, which was written by Jeff Pardo, Ethan Gregory Hulse, and Katy Nichole. The song was initially released June 10,2022. A link to Katy Nicole and Big Daddy Weave performing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.

God is in this Story

There’s torn up pages in this book
Words that tell me I’m no good
Chapters that defined me for so long
But the hands of grace and endless love
Dusted off and picked me up
Told my heart that hope is never gone

God is in this story
God is in the details
Even in the broken parts
He holds my heart, He never fails
When I’m at my weakest
I will trust in Jesus
Always in the highs and lows
The One who goes before me
God is in this story

So if the storm you’re walking through
Feels like it’s too much and you
Wonder if He even cares at all
Well, hold on tight to what you know
He promised He won’t let you go
Your song of healing’s written in His scars

If it reads like addiction
If it reads like disease
He’s the One who frees the prisoner
He’s the healer of all things
If it reads like depression
If it reads broken home
He’s the One who holds your sorrow
He won’t leave you here alone

Always in the highs and lows
The One who goes before me
God is in this story (you’re in this story)
God is in my story (right here in my story)

Have you ever really stopped and thought about everything that has gone on in your life? I know that many of us refer to a chapter in our life or reflect on the many experiences we have had over the years. Suppose all of this was documented in a book, what story would it tell? What would be the theme of your life story? How does each chapter begin and end and what caused you to fail or succeed in each chapter? I believe this song encourages each of us to take the time and answer these questions.

The song starts out by referring to torn pages. When I see this, it makes me think of books where the pages have been dog-eared, high-lighted, and perhaps torn at times. The cover is probably torn as well. These are indicators of constantly referring back to the same pages over and over again. In our lives, don’t we often seem to be caught in a roundabout? Maybe it is a series of bad relationships, choosing the wrong friends, difficulty in the work place, poor decisions, or just that we can’t seem to escape the situations we get into. These reoccurring events in our lives are the worn out pages in our story. We become so defined by our past, that we really don’t focus on what we could be and how we could turn around our lives. The end result is we spend too much time dwelling on our past instead of focusing on how to get out of our rut and becoming who God wants us to be.

The good news is that Christ is always there to pick us up whenever we decide to accept his outstretched hands. He knows the stories of our past, because he was with us every chapter in our story. Not only does Christ know the chapters, but he also knows the most intimate details of every chapter; most importantly he knows how our story ends. Jesus was always there with his outstretched hands that we did not accept because we either forgot him or decided we didn’t need him. We may think we are lost forever, but Christ is always there to love us; no matter what we have done wrong or how many times we have made mistakes. His love never fails and he never gives up on us. We are told in Matthew 28:31 to give all of our burdens to him. “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Once we adhere to and accept this verse, we can move on to the next chapter in our life.

As you enter into that next storm thinking you are alone and that no one cares about you, take the hands that Christ has extended to you and feel his arms around you. He promised to never ever let us go. It is at this time that you will realize that you are not alone, have never been alone, and can start focusing on tomorrow instead of repeating yesterday. Feel the comfort in his love and the nail scarred hands that he has because of each of us. As we face addiction, sickness, depression, rejection; know that you never face these alone and walking with Christ will keep these events from being the dog-eared chapters in your life. It doesn’t mean our lives will be easy and that we will not stumble, but we will never be alone when we realize that God is in our story. The good news is that he is with us even before our story begins and stays with us until the last chapter is complete. 1 John 5:4 tells us that God has overcome the world and with our faith in him, we too shall have final victory and spend eternity with him. “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.”

Put your faith in Jesus and make him an integral part of your story.

Click to Hear Katy Nicole and Big Daddy Weave Sing God is in this Story

Hold On To Me

The next entry for my Blog is Hold On To Me, which was written by Lauren Daigle, Paul Brendon Mabury, and Paul Duncan. The song was initially released in 2021. A link to Lauren Daigle performing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.

Hold On To Me

When the best of me is barely breathin’
When I’m not somebody I believe in
Hold on to me

When I miss the light the night has stolen
When I’m slammin’ all the doors You’ve opened
Hold on to me
Hold on to me

Hold on to me when it’s too dark to see You
When I am sure I have reached the end
Hold on to me when I forget I need You
When I let go, hold me again

When I don’t feel like I’m worth defending
When I’m tired of all my pretending
Hold on to me

When I start to break in desperation
Underneath the weight of expectation
Hold on to me
Hold on to me

Hold on to me when it’s too dark to see You (I’ll hold on)
When I am sure I have reached the end
Hold on to me when I forget I need You (I’ll hold on)
When I let go, hold me again

I could rest here in Your arms forever
‘Cause I know nobody loves me better
Hold on to me
Hold on to me

Have you ever gotten the feeling that all you do every day is fight one battle after another just to survive in this world? The battles may be associated with just putting food on the table, dealing with family issues, health, or external influences that just sap all of your energy. You fight these battles every single day and eventually reach the point where you have nothing else to give and all of your emotional and physical strength is gone. You are no longer the person you used to be and are ready to just throw up your hands and say I quit. The person you are ceases to exist in your mind, the world has defeated you, and you cry out to God to hold on to you and not give up on you. Despite where you are in your life, you can still know that God is always there and his arms are always open for you.

When we find ourselves in this situation, we sometimes become focused solely on the negative issues in our lives and view everything that goes on around us with a negative perspective. We do not even try to look for the positive. Many times, windows of light and doors are being opened right in front of us, and we disregard them since we are lost in the morass of darkness we are living in. Our friends try to talk to us and cheer us up, but we just ignore them; we have the attitude of “they just don’t understand.”

The chorus is a desperate plea for help. We may have reached a point where we are just ready to leave this world via suicide or perhaps give into the call of drugs that give us short term relief before a final addiction ends our life. The plea to God is that even though I have forgotten you, please wrap your arms around me and never let me go. In the book of Deuteronomy 31:8, we find these words, “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

As we start to question the value of our life, maybe we have the attitude of “why bother” and why should my friends continue to try and bring me out of this deep hole, I am just not worth the wasted effort. We just feel as if we are putting up a façade to everyone else, but fading away and giving up on the inside. We can no longer handle the weight of the burdens as we try to carry them alone nor can we meet the expectations of all of those around us. The good news is that our savior is there to help us with your heavy load. We are told in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. “

I really like the way she closes out this song; because at the end she has once again found peace, comfort, and love; all coming from our heavenly father. She recognizes that her focus should only be on him since he is the only one who can solve our problems and loves us more than anyone else ever could. The great news for us, is not only does God love us, but has a plan for us! This comfort is found in the book of Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to give you hope and a future”. We need to try and remember to look to God first as opposed to viewing him as our last hope.

Click to hear Lauren Daigle Sing Hold On To Me

We Won’t Be Shaken

The next entry for my Blog is We Won’t Be Shaken which was written by Casey Brown, Jason Roy, Jonathan Lindley Smith, and Tim Roseneau. It was first released by Building 429 in 2013. A link to Building 429 singing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.

We Won’t Be Shaken

This world has nothing for me
This life is not my own
I know You go before me and I am not alone
This mountain rises higher
The way seems so unclear
But I know that You go with me so I will never fear
I will trust in You

Whatever will come our way
Through fire or pouring rain
No, we won’t be shaken
No, we won’t be shaken
Whatever tomorrow brings
Together we’ll rise and sing
That we won’t be shaken
No, we won’t be shaken
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
No, we won’t be shaken

You know my every longing
You’ve heard my every prayer
You’ve held me in my weakness ’cause You are always there
So I’ll stand in full surrender
It’s Your way and not my own
My mind is set on nothing less
Than You and You alone
I will not be moved, oh

We will trust in You
We will not be moved
We will trust in You
And we won’t be shaken
We will trust in You
We will not be moved
We will trust in You
Yeah, we won’t be shaken
We will trust in You
We will not be moved
We will trust in You
Yeah, we won’t be shaken
No, we won’t be shaken

If we think about the grand picture of life as it relates to eternity, it is a pretty small blip on the radar screen. Whatever we gain today physically, emotionally, or materially pales in comparison to the eternal home God offers us. We are in a temporary earthly life that God has given us and has allowed us the option to secure our eternal home by sending his son to die for us. We are basically living in a borrowed home as we prepare for our final residence. Jesus has come and has paid the way for all of us, we just need to accept him as our savior to earn God’s promise. Putting all of this in perspective, everything we have today will be replaced by an eternity of no pain, no fear, and no sorrow.

We face challenges that seem insurmountable. We have faced wars in the past, floods, hurricanes, fires, tornadoes, and Covid-19; and we have gotten scared, maybe lost our homes or loved ones. Perhaps we have reached the point of just throwing up our arms in despair since we just can’t seem to overcome the latest challenges or the culmination of events in our lives. We often reach that point when we can’t seem to find our way through the fog and over the mountains. The thing we seem to forget along the way is that we have never been and never will be alone. God knows what we are going through, he is there with us, and he is also on the other side of that mountain or challenge; he knows what it looks like on the other side of the storm we are facing. He alone holds the future and is there to hold our hand every step of the way; we just need to let him. He knows no fear since he is all powerful and we can feel his power whenever we completely lay our burdens at his feet and let him guide us along the way.

As we walk with God, no fear can overcome us; he will lead us over the mountains and through the valleys of life. With him, we can know that all things will truly work out as they should. We will not be shaken by the events in our lives or in our world because we have the assurance that we will never be alone and that this is just a temporary home. We can be like David, who faced impossible odds against Goliath. Our focus should be on God and what he wants us to do during our brief earthly life. In 1 Corinthians 15:58, we are told to stand strong and not be shaken: “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” We will be able to look back across our journey in life and will be able to sing praises to a God that delivered us from all evil and led us through every challenge that was hurled at us.

It is important to note that not only is God there in our deepest darkest times, he is also aware of every need that we have. He hears and answers our prayers, and in our weakest moments of depression, frustration, and angst; he is there to lift us up. Basically, God has already told us that he will take care of us and watch over us, so the next step is really in our court. We must give our lives to him and ALL of our trust, we can’t just go part way and take some things to him and try to handle some alone. For us to be everything he wants us to be, for us to stand strong in an overwhelming world, we must completely surrender to him and trust in him alone. Through this surrender we can sense and see the true love and power that only God can wield. As the song says, our focus is on his way; not our way.

Are you standing on the solid rock of Christ that brings the strength and peace that gives you power to face the never endings battles in this world, or are you still fighting alone?

Click to Hear Building 429 Sing We Won’t Be Shaken

You Say

The next song for my Blog is a song that was written by Paul Mabury, Lauren Ashley Daigle, and Jason Ingram. It was first released in July, 2018. A link to Lauren Daigle performing the song is at the bottom of this Blog entry.

You Say

I keep fighting voices in my mind that say I’m not enough
Every single lie that tells me I will never measure up
Am I more than just the sum of every high and every low?
Remind me once again just who I am, because I need to know (ooh oh)

You say I am loved when I can’t feel a thing
You say I am strong when I think I am weak
You say I am held when I am falling short
When I don’t belong, oh You say I am Yours
And I believe (I), oh I believe (I)
What You say of me (I)
I believe

The only thing that matters now is everything You think of me
In You I find my worth, in You I find my identity, (ooh oh)

You say I am loved when I can’t feel a thing
You say I am strong when I think I am weak
And You say I am held when I am falling short
When I don’t belong, oh You say I am Yours
And I believe (I), oh I believe (I)
What You say of me (I)
Oh, I believe

Taking all I have and now I’m laying it at Your feet
You have every failure God, You’ll have every victory, (ooh oh)

Occasionally we all get the feeling that perhaps we are not good enough. The feeling may come because of something someone said, a failure we have experienced, or someone rejecting us; with the bottom line being we just feel discouraged, unloved, and defeated. We begin to question ourselves, our abilities, and perhaps even our faith; we just feel vulnerable in all aspects of our life. These are times when we let Satan and the distractions of the world take over our lives, and it just seems so hard to quit listening to word “failure” as it dominates our thoughts. We may reach a point at which we believe we will never be able to become what we thought we could be.

There are also days when we are on the other end of the spectrum, we may feel on top of the world. Maybe we got a promotion, found out a child is on the way, an illness was cured, or maybe a special person entered our life. These are some of the greatest times in our life and seemingly erase the bad days in the blink of an eye. These are times of our lives that we live for. Wouldn’t it be great if we could stay in this euphoric phase, where all of the bad has disappeared? I believe this is something we all long for, but with the evils in the world and the external influences they bring; we end up living the rollercoaster of life’s highs and lows. We long for peace and normalcy and sometimes forget that our heart and eternity belong to God and he is the one who really holds our life in his hands. The problem is, we sometimes forget this while on the rollercoaster of life. We eventually reach that point of reaching out to God for help, and as we open our hearts to him; he reminds us of who we are, who he is, why we are here, and what eternal life really means.

The chorus in this song helps us to understand what God can and will do for us at all times. He knows what we need before we even ask. He knows that one of the greatest needs we have is to be loved; isn’t love one of the most wonderful feelings we can ever have? It is such a wonderful feeling to be loved by our families, our friends, by little children, and especially by that one person we adore and love the most. Even in those times when we feel alone, feel as if the world is collapsing around us, and someone has hurt us; have you stopped to think that the love of God is still there with you and is as strong as it has always been and always will be? Even though we do not feel the love coming from those in the world into our lives, God is always there, is always loving us, and always has his arms around us. Romans 8:39 tells us:
Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God.

As we face the challenges and defeats in our lives, we believe we are no longer strong enough to face the challenges that confront us every day. Our effort to push back becomes weaker as we give up on our hopes and dreams. We seem to forget that we serve an all-powerful God that loves his children and is there to provide them with all of the strength they need and more. He is always there to put his arms around us and protect us from whatever the world throws at us. Yes, there will be emotional pain and physical pain in our lives, but nothing in this world is strong enough to overcome the strength and love that God provides. He alone made the ultimate sacrifice to give us eternal life, along with that gift comes his protection since he wants us to spend eternity with him. Along with the sacrifice he made for us, he gave us the promise of eternal love and of an eternal family that would always love us. We are reminded of his protection in Deuteronomy 31:6

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.

As we finally stop and open our hearts to God, we start to realize that we are not measured by this world or the opinions of others. It is during this time we remember what salvation is all about and how we should focus on what God wants us to do with our lives; not what we want to do with our lives. We face the challenge of doing God’s will and not our will. As imperfect people, we will not be able to defeat all of the temptations of this world; but we can be assured we are never alone and have all the strength we need to carry forward every day of our lives. We just need to believe in what God has promised us and know he will never abandon his children. It is time to lay all of our burdens, our defeats, and our failures at the feet of God. He will turn all of these into victories we could never have imagined.

You are never alone when you believe and accept the love of Christ.

Click to See Lauren Daigle Perform You Say

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We Won’t Be Shaken

You Say