being grateful
Over the next few blogs, I’ve decided to interpret some well-known Christian songs and try and dig deeper into what the meanings behind them are. Today, I’m focusing on a song by Casting Crowns. “Praise you in This Storm”, by Casting Crowns, is one of the bands best known songs. It is a song that  enables anyone to cry out to God for help during hard times and says that the person listening to it, will praise Him in the storm, no matter what may happen.
I want to look at the entire song and give my personal thoughts on what it means. This way, others can also make their own assessments on what the song means for them and in their own lives.  The first verse and chorus are as follows: “I was sure by now, God you would have reached down, and wiped our tears away, stepped in and saved the day, but once again I say amen, and it’s still raining. But as the thunder rolls, I barely hear you whisper through the rain, I’m with you. And as your mercy falls, I raise my hands and praise the God who gives and takes away. Chorus: I’ll praise you in this storm, and I will lift my hands, for you are who you are no matter where I am. Every tear I cry, you hold in your hands. You’ve never left my side. Though my heart is torn, I will praise you in this storm.”
The song tells the story of anyone longing for help from God. We long for Him to help us, and sometimes, God has an even greater plan than we can see for ourselves, by letting the storm continue to race on in our lives. But as the chorus says, “I will praise you in this storm, and I will lift my hands. For you are who you are, no matter where I am, every tear I cry, you hold in your hand.  You never left my side. Though my heart is torn, I will praise you in this storm.” This is self-explanatory, although praising God during tough times is seen, often times as the most difficult thing to do. We often want to turn our anger, bitterness and resentment towards God or on God. We can still praise Him in the storms of our lives if we choose to. Praising Him through the storms of life can actually bring you closer to Him and fill your life with more peace.
The second verse says, “I remember when, I stumbled in the wind. You heard my cry, you raised me up again. My strength is almost gone. How can I carry on, if I can’t find you.  But as the thunder rolls, I barely hear you whisper through the rain, I’m with you. And as your mercy falls, I raise my hands and praise the God who gives and takes away. Chorus: I’ll praise you in this storm, and I will lift my hands, for you are who you are no matter where I am. Every tear I cry, you hold in your hands. You’ve never left my side. Though my heart is torn, I will praise you in this storm.”
The second verse says that when we stumbled, we remembered when He caught us and brought us back to our feet. When our strength is all but gone, we have that feeling of how we aren’t able to carry on. There the question in the song is raised and asked of God, “how can I carry on, if I can’t find you?” Many times we find ourselves asking Him, “Lord how do you expect me to go on with this pain in my life right now? I need your help, but I can’t see you or really feel your presence. How can I keep going if I can’t find you? How can I find you again in my life?”
  We may not always be able to see or feel His presence in our lives, especially during the stormy periods. But He is there. We sometimes just barely hear, Him whisper through the rain that He is there with us.
The bridge goes like this: “I lift my eyes up to the hills, where does my help come from, my help comes from the Lord, the maker of Heaven and Earth. I lift my eyes up to the hills, where does my help come from, my help comes from the Lord, the maker of Heaven and Earth.” Then the chorus repeats one last time. The bridge is taken from the scripture Psalm 121: 1-3.  The band Casting Crowns made sure to in cooperate scripture into this powerful song, so that people can memorize the verse and hold it in their hearts during hard times. Our help comes from the Lord, first and foremost.
 If you really listen to the lyrics and hold them in your heart, hopefully this song will help you through any hard time you may face. Every tear we cry, He holds in His hands. He’s never left our side. Even though we are in pain and it may feel as though our lives will never be alright again, when something horrific happens to us, we still can have the privilege, honor and peace of knowing He is in complete control. We can have the honor, peace and privilege of going to our Lord in times of struggle when we feel as though we can’t take one more step.
The song points out that there is no shame in praising God during hard times. May this song bring comfort, peace and strength to you during any hard time you may have.
Listen to the whole song here at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCpP0mFD9F0
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