{"id":8844,"date":"2016-04-13T09:49:05","date_gmt":"2016-04-13T13:49:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/?p=8844"},"modified":"2016-04-13T09:52:32","modified_gmt":"2016-04-13T13:52:32","slug":"worship-wednesday-with-hope-steven-curtis-chapman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/?p=8844","title":{"rendered":"Worship Wednesday – With Hope – Steven Curtis Chapman"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Blog<\/a>We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 –\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 1 Thessalonians 4:13<\/a>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

It’s been quite some time since I attended a funeral. Not that we haven’t lost dear friends in the last few years…but we lived far away at the time and just didn’t go. This time…when Heath<\/a> died…we went.<\/p>\n

Death is something no one wants to have to look on full-face. There’s no way really to polish it up. It is our final enemy<\/a>. Our temptation is to remove ourselves as far from suffering and death as we can. When someone you love is on this path, then how can we do anything else but enter in…?<\/p>\n

Heath lived 15 months or so with a devastating, killing cancer. That in itself was a miracle. When he died, a small loving family is left to figure out a new normal for their lives. They won’t be alone in this.<\/p>\n

How thankful I am that God draws close to His children in the daily and in death. Heath’s wife and children will have what they need to face what comes next. God is faithful. God is good.<\/p>\n

When a gifted, lovely 42-years-young man dies, leaving a wife and three little girls, can we say in this that God is good? If we cannot, then we never can. We cannot see what God sees, but we know from experience and from His Word<\/a> that He will work good out of every situation in His children’s lives…every. single. situation.<\/p>\n

Heath understood that, and he lived it. His family does as well.<\/p>\n

You might not think that a funeral can be a joyous thing. I don’t cry easily. Maybe after so many of our own losses, maybe after years of cancer nursing…tears just don’t come at the usual times. During Heath’s funeral, I couldn’t stop them from rolling down. Out of love and out of loss…but also out of wonder at the beauty of God’s care and character.<\/p>\n

With Hope <\/em><\/strong>is a song written by Steven Curtis Chapman in 2008 after the accidental death<\/a> of his 5 y\/o daughter, Maria. The tribute video<\/a> for Heath at his funeral featured this song as the soundtrack and it was so right. Somehow, especially in times of loss, God weaves a deep hope into our faith.<\/strong> I saw it in Heath’s family…and I experienced it myself. God is good…always.<\/p>\n

Worship<\/a> with me.<\/p>\n

This is not at all
\nHow we thought it was supposed to be
\nWe had so many plans for you
\nWe has so many dreams
\nBut now you’ve gone away
\nAnd left us with the memories of your smile
\nAnd nothing we can say
\nAnd nothing we can do
\nCan take away the pain
\nThe pain of losing you<\/p>\n

And we can cry with hope
\nWe can say good-bye with hope
\n‘Cause we know our good-bye is not the end
\nAnd we can grieve with hope
\n‘Cause we believe with hope
\nThere’s a place where we’ll see your face again
\nWe’ll see your face again<\/p>\n

And never have I known
\nAnything so hard to understand
\nAnd never have I questioned more
\nThe wisdom of God’s plan
\nBut through the cloud of tears
\nI see the Father smile and say ‘well done.’
\nAnd I imagine you
\nWhere you wanted most to be
\nSeeing all your dreams come true
\n‘Cause now your home
\nAnd now your free<\/p>\n

[Chorus]<\/i><\/p>\n

We have this hope as an anchor
\n‘Cause we believe that everything
\nGod promised us is true<\/p>\n

[Chorus]<\/i><\/p>\n

We wait with hope
\nAnd we ache with hope
\nWe hold on with hope
\nWe let go with hope*\"Blog<\/a>Photo Credit: Facebook<\/a><\/p>\n

Postscript: Toward the end of Heath’s funeral, a solitary musician with guitar began to sing Come to Jesus<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em> We, in that gathering, were all suspended in our thoughts of Heath, sad in our loss of him and full of joy that he was Home with the Lord. In the emotion of that moment, the singer, just into the first verse of that beautiful, soulful song, faltered. He willed his voice to continue but couldn’t. Even as his voice gave away, soft voices in the congregation took up where he left off. He strummed the guitar, and we sang…quietly, full of reverence at the meaning of all before us.<\/p>\n

It is what we find in the truest experience of the Family of God and the grace of God. We all falter sometimes…we all fall. He lifts us up – either through the hands and voices of others, or by His own hand and word. He carries us. He helps us see beyond the pain and wretchedness of an unbelievable loss…to the glory of that life, of our lives, and His glory reflected in them.<\/p>\n

Hallelujah!<\/p>\n

*Lyrics to With Hope<\/em> by Steven Curtis Chapman<\/a><\/p>\n

Steven Curtis Chapman<\/a><\/p>\n