Never Once

I have this thing for listening to music. I ususally have it playing all the time. In the car, in my room, on a bus ride, while I'm doing homework; it's on all the time. Then in chuch one of my favorite parts is singing. But my most favorite is when we learn new songs, that yeah I may have heard them on the radio, but never really listened to the words and it might have even been one where I went to the next station because I didn't know it and just wasn't feeling it at the time. Well a couple months at church we started singing this song that was one of those "not feeling it" types of songs. Many of you may or may not have heard it, but it's called Never Once by Matt Redmen. (I'll attach it at the end again.) For some reason, when we sang that song at church and as we continue to sing it week after week, the words continue to speak to me each and every time. It has some pretty powerful words in it.

Its hard to figure out where to begin. I think I'll start at the beginning of the song. In the first part of the song it says, "knowing that for every step You were with us". Those 7 words were enough for me to think, "this is going to be a great song!" And sure enough, those words came true. But wait it gets better.

"Scars and struggles on the way, but with joy our hearts can say, never once did we ever walk alone."

As a christian I know that in my walk with Christ and just in my life in general, many troubles are going to come my way. I have experienced so many of them already and couldn't be happier that I did because they truly have made me stronger than  I was before any of them happened. Some bad things will leave scars, like the song talks about, and even after they do we are going to continue to struggle with something new, that might leave a scar itself, but it is how we look at those scars and struggles that makes them better. During every single scar and struggle, God is present. He doesn't let us walk them alone. At the time it may not seem like He is walking with us, but trust me He is bigger then than He ever will be at those times. Whenever a scar is left or a struggle is happening, He is standing beside you like a buddy on a path, walking step in step with you.

Right after that part of the song comes an even better part. It says, "Never once did you leave us on our own. You are faithful, God, You are faithful". There it is again. He is faithful. He never leaves us. He is walkin step in step with us down the "struggle path". And not just sometimes is He there, never once did He leave us on our own. NEVER ONCE!!!! He is always there! He is faithful through every single thing we go through. EVERY SINGLE ONE!!! Big or small, He is there. Oh man oh man, isn't God just awesome?!

As I have gotten older, I have feel in love with reading my Bible. When I was younger, I would just read it because someone told me too or because we were opening it in church. But now I hate going a day without reading it. I am no perfect Christian and so many times fail at reading it on a daily basis. But the days when I do read it before stepping out into the world for the day, my day just feels so much more worthwhile and I feel more refreshed throughout the day. The days where I don't, I can always tell because nothing goes right. Throughout my whole Bible you will find it wrtitten all over and highlighted everywhere because if I don't mark something good right when I read it, I'll forget about it. As I was trying to think to a verse that connected to the idea of God's faithfulness, nothing came to mind. So I did what I always do when I want a good verse, I just skim through my Bible. For some reason the Holy Spirit was drawing me to the Psalms, so of course I went there. As I was flipping through them, I saw a box around Psalm 23 verse 4. It reads, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and staff. they comfort me." Holy smokes! Could it be any more clearer?! As I am walking through "the valley of the shadow of death", I have nothing to fear, He is with me. Let me say it again. HE. IS. WITH. ME. and not just through the scary or hard times. ALL. THE. TIME. And when He is walking with me, He has His rod and His staff just to comfort me. Oh man, how can you not love this Man if He does that for you?

"Scars and struggles on the way, but with joy our hearts can say. Never once did we ever walk alone. Never once did you leave us on our own. You are faithful. God, You are faithful"

Scars are going to happen

He is faithful.

Struggles are going to occur.

He is faithful.

We will walk through the valley of the shadow of death.

He is with us.

We will face evil.

He has His rod and staff ready to help us.

He is faithful now and for ever and we will never walk alone. Ever.

Yeah, thats why I love that Man.

:)