Because It’sAll I Have:

One of the many great things about having the puppies (there are so many) is me and my husband are listening to more Christian music on a regular basis.  I know that may sound strange but whenever we are leaving the house or are doing something else, and we want the dogs to be relaxed, we are playing their little radio connected to the Christian radio.  

Because of this, I have discovered one of my new favorite songs by Brandon Lake, who wrote this song, Gratitude.  It is a beautiful song, both in sound, but also in the beautiful lyrics.  I have loved listening to it, and it even made me tear up by its beauty.  It reminded me of my relationship with Christ.  While there are some times I can forget how much God loves us and how much He does for us, I love when I  have moments of reminders. 

One of my favorite parts of the song is when He sings the chorus and says, “So I throw up my hands and praise You again and again.  ‘Cause all that I have is a hallelujah, And I know it’s not much.  But I’ve nothing else fit for a King, except for a heart singing hallelujah.”  I love this chorus because it really captures a heart who is completely surrendered to the Lord. 

I have discussed throughout this blog of going through a bit of a stressful experience recently.  My husband and I have had a rough road in the past few months because of various obstacles.  There also has been an increased busyness as we have been getting into the swing of fall.  With all of these things, there are definitely times when I will feel inadequate or I will feel as though I am not doing enough for God.  However, hearing this song was a reminder to me I don’t have to be the one who is in charge of everything. 

There are also verses throughout the Bible showcasing the importance of praising God.  One of those verses is Hebrews 13:15 says, “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.”  The book of the Bible does a great job of reminding us to love God and to praise God because of all the work and the love He often offers us.  

To be completely honest, we don’t have a lot for the Lord.  We don’t have a lot to offer.  All we can offer is our heart and our love for the Lord.  This is especially true whenever we feel a bit spent, when we are low on energy, when we are struggling to completely understand everything going on in our life.  Even in those moments we feel as though we are doing a lot and we are capable of a lot, we still can’t do nearly as much as God and as much for God as we think.  

There are times I can get very overwhelmed with trying to get a lot done.  There are times when we feel as though we are drowning in a mess of to do lists, a mess of work load, a mess of everything.  In those moments, it can be hard to depend on myself, and then there are those moments when I need to be more willing to listen to God and lean on his understanding.  

The challenge of the week is to 1. Listen to the song.  Maybe it won’t touch you like it touched me.  However, I have to imagine this song will be a big blessing in your life.  It really touched my heart.  Then there is also the chance to reflect on the song and what it is teaching about our relationship with the Lord.  

The second challenge is to spend time in full surrender to the Lord.  Essentially, this is to spend time with complete love and adoration.  I would highly recommend reading some time in the Psalms to see how many other people put the praise and the adoration into the Lord’s name.  This gives us a more of an understanding of how we can love one another and how we can continuously praise God.  Those including David who had been in the midst of a lot of trials including the previous king trying to murder him, was able to still offer great praises to God about his love and his unending strength and goodness.