Praise. To express one’s gratitude. Or an expression of gratitude such as worship.
How do you respond when things start going downhill? Do you trust God even when you don’t understand? Do you continue to praise him???
The last month has been a little trying. I got news part way through July that my grandma wasn’t doing well….that she was declining quickly.
When I left for the race in January, she was still living by herself. About March or April, she finally decided-at 96 years old-to go into a nursing home due to a lot of weakness and not being able to properly care for herself.
Within the past week, I’ve received even more messages of decline and it’s hard. It’s hard being across the ocean not being able to visit or care for someone you love. It’s hard to not be with everyone during holiday celebrations. Its hard thinking about all the good times we’ve had together. It’s hard to fathom that I might not get to say one more goodbye.
When I left in January, she even said to me at one point that she might not be around when I got home. We hugged. We shed some tears. And I told her goodbye. But I just had this feeling that she would be okay.
She has her good and her bad days. She has my world map hanging on her wall. My family shares videos and pictures with her and I send some post cards. I literally can’t do anything else than pray for her from across the ocean (and have my friends pray for her too!) and praise God for the time that I’ve had with her. I know that she knows that I love her and I ultimately have peace about the situation. She is a woman of faith and loves God. She is in good hands no matter what.
When we were in Rwanda, Luc sang Unbroken Praise during one of our worship sessions. I absolutely loved the song and it’s now one of my “repeat” songs. I had never heard it before. Then we sang it in church. God was trying to tell me something.
Here are the lyrics…soak them up! Know that God is good and give thanks for all he does in your life and soak in his LOVE for you! He sent his son to die on the cross for YOU. To make you PURE. So that you might LIVE for an eternity with him! How can we not praise him every day then? Yes, we will have troubles and hardships in this life, but one day…all of that will be gone.
So TODAY, let your PRAISE always be UNBROKEN, UNENDING, UNTAINTED, UNFADING and FOREVERMORE….
Praise unbroken…Praise unending…Be Yours, Be Yours forevermore.
Praise untainted…Praise unfading…Be Yours, Be Yours forevermore.
Be Yours, Be Yours forevermore
Unbroken praise be Yours God forever. All my praise be Yours God forever.
Lord take this life. Let it become Your throne. Unbroken praise be Yours
My surrender…My devotion…Be Yours, Be Yours forevermore.
Be Yours, Be Yours forevermore
So let my deeds outrun my words. And let my life outweigh my songs.
Unbroken Praise be yours.
Amen.
It’s hard seeing her like this Kelly but she’s tough. I never heard this song before but i am really loving it! I keep thinking about grandma when she lived in Springfield and I was about 5 or 6 (your dad was still living with her). I’d spend the night and sing her to sleep with the songs I knew from Sunday School!
I miss you, Love you, & am praying for you. Sue
Big hugs, Kelly. “Praise God from whom ALL BLESSING flow”
Hold on to those beautiful memories Sue! Praying for you all too as you have to physically see her going through all this. I pray you are all wrapped in God’s love, comfort, and peace. Hugs!
Thank you Jeri and hugs back to you! I know God is good and his timing is perfect. 🙂
So good Kelly. We need to look up that song because those lyrics are amazing. This is the time in the race when people are missing home a lot! It is so hard to fully trust our loved ones to God even when they know Him and we know He loves them more than we do. Praying the Lord’s blessings are upon your grandmother and you!