{"id":18438,"date":"2018-04-11T07:41:41","date_gmt":"2018-04-11T11:41:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/?p=18438"},"modified":"2018-04-11T07:44:00","modified_gmt":"2018-04-11T11:44:00","slug":"worship-wednesday-this-is-gonna-to-make-you-stronger-mandisa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/?p=18438","title":{"rendered":"Worship Wednesday &#8211; This Is Gonna to Make You Stronger &#8211; Mandisa"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Blog-Mandisa-Stronger-GodTube.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-18451\" src=\"http:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Blog-Mandisa-Stronger-GodTube.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"864\" height=\"480\" srcset=\"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Blog-Mandisa-Stronger-GodTube.jpg 864w, https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Blog-Mandisa-Stronger-GodTube-300x167.jpg 300w, https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Blog-Mandisa-Stronger-GodTube-768x427.jpg 768w, https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Blog-Mandisa-Stronger-GodTube-672x372.jpg 672w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px\" \/><\/a>Photo Credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.godtube.com\/watch\/?v=9C9B9FNU\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">GodTube<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"verse-10\"><em>And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. &#8211; <\/em><a href=\"http:\/\/biblehub.com\/1_peter\/5-10.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">1 Peter 5:10<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><em>Haven&#8217;t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.&#8221; &#8211; <\/em><a href=\"http:\/\/biblehub.com\/joshua\/1-9.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Joshua 1:9<\/a><span class=\"p\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em>He said to me, \u201cMy grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.\u201d Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me&#8230;For when I am weak, then I am strong. &#8211; <\/em><a href=\"http:\/\/biblehub.com\/2_corinthians\/12-10.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">2 Corinthians 12:9, 10b<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Some of my sweetest times with the Lord are driving in a dark car with the radio on. Last night I was on my way to a friend&#8217;s house and a string of songs came on all meant just for me&#8230;we&#8217;ve all had this experience, right? They were:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Newsboys&#8217; <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=bIQf5dD7Y9k\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Abandon<\/a><\/em><\/li>\n<li>Jordan Feliz&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=wgD92xLlNGs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Witness<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Francesca Battistelli&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=JbCfyZHSQbE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Beautiful, Beautiful<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Mandisa&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=WFY2Hdh7cvA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Stronger<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Every one of those songs highlights God&#8217;s work of grace in our lives. <a href=\"http:\/\/mandisaofficial.com\/home\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mandisa<\/a>&#8216;s song especially spoke to the transforming nature of suffering. How God takes suffering and brokenness in our lives and perfects us through it. Perfects us in such a way that not only are we made stronger but our ability to comfort others is strengthened.<\/p>\n<p>One of God&#8217;s gifts to this distractible daughter of His is how He speaks to my heart in waves to drive His message deep into my heart.<\/p>\n<p>Last night, in a circle of women drinking tea and catching up with each other, the Lord spoke Mandisa&#8217;s message again through my friend. She told us a story about how her little daughter had a favorite doll that she always had with her. The mama even kept a second similar doll nearby for when the favorite occasionally went missing. That doll was a poor substitute. Her daughter&#8217;s favorite was her constant companion and because of that, this doll was dirty, worn, and well-loved. She had in some measure endured whatever that little girl endured.<a href=\"http:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Blog-Stronger-Favorite-Baby-Doll-Pixabay.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-18449\" src=\"http:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Blog-Stronger-Favorite-Baby-Doll-Pixabay.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"857\" srcset=\"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Blog-Stronger-Favorite-Baby-Doll-Pixabay.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Blog-Stronger-Favorite-Baby-Doll-Pixabay-300x201.jpg 300w, https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Blog-Stronger-Favorite-Baby-Doll-Pixabay-768x514.jpg 768w, https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Blog-Stronger-Favorite-Baby-Doll-Pixabay-1024x686.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/a>Photo Credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/pixabay.com\/en\/girl-baby-doll-baby-girl-child-907931\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Pixabay<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230;and was made perfect (in this little girl&#8217;s eyes) because of their shared experience<\/p>\n<p>Even God&#8217;s sinless Son was somehow made <em>perfect through suffering<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><em>For in bringing many sons to glory, it was entirely appropriate that God&#8211;all things exist for Him and through Him&#8211;should make the source of their salvation perfect through sufferings. &#8211; <\/em><a href=\"http:\/\/biblehub.com\/hebrews\/2-10.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hebrews 2:10<\/a><span class=\"p\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em>Though He was God&#8217;s Son, He learned obedience through what He suffered.<\/em> &#8211; <a href=\"http:\/\/biblehub.com\/hebrews\/5-8.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hebrews 5:8<\/a><\/p>\n<p>When we suffer and bear up under it, with God&#8217;s help, we come out the other side stronger. What that does for us&#8230;and <a href=\"http:\/\/biblehub.com\/acts\/16-25.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">for those watching us<\/a>&#8230;is give us a confidence and assurance that we will get through it. Just as we have seen Jesus suffer for our sake&#8230;and gloriously endure.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s not surprising that the song <em>Stronger <\/em>comes from Mandisa&#8217;s album <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B004NNEY16?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=debmillswrite-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;linkCode=xm2&amp;creativeASIN=B004NNEY16\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>What If We Were Real<\/em><\/a>. It set me to remembering the childhood story of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/0385077254?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=debmillswrite-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;linkCode=xm2&amp;creativeASIN=0385077254\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>The Velveteen Rabbit<\/em><\/a> by <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Margery_Williams\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Margery Williams<\/a>. In the story, the Rabbit confronts the reality of what makes things &#8220;real&#8221;. In short, he discovered that love makes us real&#8230;and with that love comes suffering&#8230;but the love makes that suffering not matter.<a href=\"http:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Blog-Velveteen-rabbit-on-being-real-reddit.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-18447\" src=\"http:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Blog-Velveteen-rabbit-on-being-real-reddit.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"640\" srcset=\"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Blog-Velveteen-rabbit-on-being-real-reddit.jpg 640w, https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Blog-Velveteen-rabbit-on-being-real-reddit-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Blog-Velveteen-rabbit-on-being-real-reddit-300x300.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a>Photo Credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/QuotesPorn\/comments\/71g8tm\/once_you_are_real_you_cant_be_ugly_except_to\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Reddit<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Suffering is a part of all our lives. I can understand, especially if your experience of suffering is very raw and current, that this talk of dolls and rabbits will feel frivolous.<\/p>\n<p>What Jesus endured for us, however, is not a trifle. It is, in fact, the most real thing in my life&#8230;and hopefully yours, as well. That and His ongoing work in our lives transforming us to become more and more like Him.<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes&#8230;that is through suffering.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=emgv-VRtMEU\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Worship<\/a> with me, if you will, through this song brought to us by our dear sister, Mandisa.<\/p>\n<p><span id=\"ctl00_cphMain_lblLyrics\">Hey, heard you were up all night<br \/>\nThinking about how your world ain&#8217;t right<br \/>\nAnd you wonder if things will ever get better<br \/>\nAnd you&#8217;re asking why is it always raining on you<br \/>\nWhen all you want is just a little good news<br \/>\nInstead of standing there stuck out in the weather<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Oh, don&#8217;t hang your head<br \/>\nIt&#8217;s gonna end<br \/>\nGod&#8217;s right there<br \/>\nEven if it&#8217;s hard to see Him<br \/>\nI promise you that He still cares<\/p>\n<p>(Chorus)<br \/>\nWhen the waves are taking you under<br \/>\nHold on just a little bit longer<br \/>\nHe knows that this is gonna make you stronger, stronger<br \/>\nThe pain ain&#8217;t gonna last forever<br \/>\nAnd things can only get better<br \/>\nBelieve me, this is gonna make you stronger<br \/>\nGonna make you stronger, stronger, stronger<br \/>\nBelieve me, this is gonna make you &#8230;<\/p>\n<p>Try and do the best you can<br \/>\nHold on and let Him hold your hand<br \/>\nAnd go on and fall into the arms of Jesus<br \/>\nOh, lift your head it&#8217;s gonna end<br \/>\nGod&#8217;s right there<br \/>\nEven when you just can&#8217;t feel Him<br \/>\nI promise you that He still cares<\/p>\n<p>Chorus<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;Cause if He started this work in your life<br \/>\nHe will be faithful to complete it<br \/>\nIf only you believe it<br \/>\nHe knows how much it hurts<br \/>\nAnd I&#8217;m sure that He&#8217;s gonna help you get through this<\/p>\n<p>Chorus*<\/p>\n<p><em>&#8220;And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore you, secure you, strengthen you, and establish you.&#8221;<\/em> &#8211; <a href=\"http:\/\/biblehub.com\/1_peter\/5-10.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">1 Peter 5:10<\/a><\/p>\n<p>What do you make of this? Please comment below if you have a story of suffering you are willing to share. How did God reveal Himself to you&#8230;through you?<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Mandisa - Stronger (Live In The Studio)\" width=\"474\" height=\"267\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/WFY2Hdh7cvA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.klove.com\/music\/artists\/mandisa\/songs\/stronger-lyrics.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Lyrics to <em>Stronger<\/em> with Mandisa &#8211; song written by Christopher Stevens, David Garcia and Ben Glover\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B004NNEY16?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=debmillswrite-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;linkCode=xm2&amp;creativeASIN=B004NNEY16\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mandisa&#8217;s Album <em>What If We were Real<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/mandisaofficial.com\/home\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mandisa<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=5vS0mYGbFWg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">YouTube Video &#8211; The Story Behind <em>Stronger<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.newreleasetoday.com\/article.php?article_id=602\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>&#8220;Stronger<\/em>&#8221; &#8211; Behind the Song with Kevin Davis<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Photo Credit: GodTube And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. &#8211; 1 Peter 5:10 Haven&#8217;t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/?p=18438\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Worship Wednesday &#8211; This Is Gonna to Make You Stronger &#8211; Mandisa<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"yes","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[810,34,1705,1618,794,3976,3208,1265,50,903,2556,33,18,432,761,1456,1002,47,203,946],"tags":[4958,5918,5919,1663,1835,5745,3011,211,2557,5921,1718,5917,368,5920],"class_list":["post-18438","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-all-good-gifts","category-books","category-conversations","category-courage","category-faithfulness","category-fear","category-finishing-strong","category-friends","category-god","category-grace","category-grief-and-loss","category-inspired","category-jesus","category-music","category-redeeming-restoring","category-steadfast-love","category-transformational","category-wednesday-worship","category-word-of-god","category-worship","tag-ben-glover","tag-christophre-stevens","tag-david-garcia","tag-francesca-battistelli","tag-jesus","tag-jordan-feliz","tag-kevin-davis","tag-love","tag-mandisa","tag-margery-williams","tag-newsboys","tag-stronger","tag-suffering","tag-the-velveteen-rabbit"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pauPAB-4No","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18438","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18438"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18438\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18462,"href":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18438\/revisions\/18462"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18438"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18438"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18438"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}