This song is probably one of the more emotional songs to sing. As I was in the process of writing, I found it to be very difficult to accept and put into practice the very things I was trying to encourage others to do. The content of this song came as a direct rebuke to myself... but it also contains a very pointed exhortation in the midst of the correction. This was really painful to write because I know that I fail to do this so often, and it is even hard at times to sing it without stopping.

What this song is about... I find myself doing one of two things (and I can bet that there are others who might struggle with this as well) when ever I face painful circumstances of any sort. I either assume that time will take care of the pain, and that I can pretty much handle it on my own... or on the other extreme, I throw up my hands in desperation and feel like everything is hopeless... and that the pain I feel is the absolute end of all things. What I have come to realize is that both are an offense to a holy God... He does not waste painful events and circumstances in our lives. When we resort to either of these two extremes, (self-reliance or self pity) we miss the purpose for those painful events... AND we miss opportunities to exercise faith and dependence upon God.

The answer during these times of unbearable sorrow is not some new method of coping with pain by adding a "christian" twist... its not to sing a song and be happy... its not to create an environment where it seems like everything is just fine when things really aren't.

The answer is the same as it has been for all time! The direct inspiration for the text of this song came from a sermon preached from 1 Samuel 30:1-6. PLEASE READ and meditate on what is going on. David finds himself arriving in Ziklag with his men, only to find that it had been raided, overthrown, and burned with fire. The Amalekites had taken the women and all the inhabitants as captives. The men's wives, sons, and daughters had all been taken. It was so bad when David and the men saw this that the Bible describes that he was "greatly distressed" and that they "raised their voices and wept until they had no more strength to weep." So not only was David in trouble and sorrow because of what had happened to the women and children, but add upon that the pain of his own men questioning his leadership and seeking to stone him because of the great loss. David is in big time "great distress" indeed! But at the moment of utter despair and coming as a sweet refrain in the midst of a chaotic tragedy, the Bible records these words: "But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God."

What David did here was simply to engage in self-talk. This is NOT pop-psychology lingo for positive thinking, rather it is the Biblical definition of what an active faith looks like! What David did was preach to himself.

While he didn't have the full picture view of the Savior like we do in the person of Jesus, he still fixed his hope on the covenant God of His salvation. The covenant name YHWH (LORD, when seen in the Bible) is the very nature and character of a Holy, Just, Faithful, Wrathful, and Merciful God that Jesus, the promised One, will soon personify.

David preached to himself the gospel. I don't know if you have ever wept until you have no more strength, but the promise remains. We must continue to preach the gospel to ourselves in the midst of unbearable circumstances. I hope you enjoy this tune. To the Glory of God alone!