Reflection of The Desert Song, MD & TN

This song is very dear to my heart and always on my lips. It's The Desert Song from Hillsong. It goes like this:

Verse 1:

This is my prayer in the desert

And all that's within me feels dry

This is my prayer in my hunger and need

My God is the God who provides

Verse 2:

And this is my prayer in the fire

In weakness or trial or pain

There is a faith proved

Of more worth than gold

So refine me Lord through the flames

Chorus:

And I will bring praise

I will bring praise

No weapon formed against me shall remain

I will rejoice

I will declare

God is my victory and He is here

Verse 3:

And this is my prayer in the battle

When triumph is still on it's way

I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ

So firm on His promise I'll stand

Bridge:

All of my life

In every season

You are still God

I have a reason to sing

I have a reason to worship

Verse 4:

This is my prayer in the harvest

When favor and providence flow

I know I'm filled to be emptied again

The seed I've received I will sow

This is the song that pulled me through so much. In the battles of Neal's PTSD, my depression, fear, anxiety, financial turmoil, lack of a truly supportive spiritual community and the like; these lyrics reminded me that my God provides. He had always provided and will continue to provide during these trials, dry/dark places, through pain, through hunger of Him and His healing and hunger for answers.  He provides through canyons of needs and very deep/dark weakness.  Even though I could see not even an ounce of how He would provide, this song would give me strength for the next minute, hour or day to believe in His promises to never leave me nor forsake me.

During the fire from the enemy in the form of PTSD, depression and financial strains these lyrics reminded me that my faith in God was something these trials, people or anything on this earth could not take away. So I prayed that the Lord would refine me, that He would mold me during these times. I wanted to be more like Him, to be used by Him and to bring Him glory.

Satan was forming multiple forms of weapons to destroy us in any and all ways possible but I was determined that I would praise Him no matter. I would praise Him no matter how hard things got. My heart's desire only pissed the enemy off more and enticed him to fight harder but I wasn't giving up!  I would praise Him for what He has done in the past, what He was currently doing (even though I had no clue at the time) and praise Him for our future in Him because that was pretty much the only thing that I couldn't be stripped of.  It gave me so much strength (strength only from Him, not from within) to sing the words, "No weapon formed against me shall remain....God is my victory and He is here."  

So while the battle was still occurring over our hearts, minds and souls and victory was still on it's away (more like light-years away it felt) this song would remind me that I was indeed a co-heir of Christ. I would stand on His promises, believing with all my heart that all of these trials were for His glory and our good.  When we are truly co-heirs of Christ we do have a reason to sing, we do have a reason to worship Him.  

So today (Feb. 19, 2012) we sang this song at Harpeth Community Church for worship. Half way through the song the Lord opened up my mind to the current truth of the final verse to this song, it was a revelation in the timeline of our journey:

'This is my prayer in the harvest

When favor and providence flow

I know I'm filled to be emptied again

The seed I've received I will sow'

By trusting Him, by remaining faithful to Him, by continuing to praise Him through the desert and battles we have received a harvest in TN. We have received a harvest through Harpeth Community Church which is ultimately from God of course.  Our new community has embraced us with open arms, they have accepted our pain, scars and weaknesses and have been willing vessels to be used by Him to help heal us.

And now we see how the seed He has placed in us is used to sow, to plant, to be fishers of men.  

Our testimony has brought Him the glory He deserves.  I'm honored to have gone through what we did, He was worth it.