“Lord of Hosts, You’re with us
With us in the fire
With us as a shelter
With us in the storm
You will lead us
Through the fiercest battle
Oh, where else would we go
But with the Lord of Hosts”

I stood in the pew while the voices and foot beaters around me sung and stomped loudly enough to shake the floor.  I had never heard this song before but clearly my church had as the harmonies rose as well as the hands.  I was so enraptured I could only listen to this sung declaration.  This was over a year ago.

I got in my car today and played this song loudly.  I sang loudly but no one sang along or beat their foot with me.  The words of truth still brought tears to my eyes as I have thought about all the pain, sorrow, death, heart ache, and confusion going on in all my concentric circles: sailors dying horrifically and suddenly, covid, election hate, my kids wondering where their dad is, wearing masks so long that they get soaked from damp breath, realizing friendships come with risks and hating that they do, fires, hurricanes, and deaths worldwide.  It is so overwhelming that humor has become dark.  Things are funny that should not be funny yet our coping skills have reached the end of their limit.  I kept singing.

“Oh, God of Jacob, fierce and great
You lift Your voice to speak
The earth, it bows
And all the mountains move into the sea”

How can that be true?  It feels like the earth is breaking, not bowing and the mountains are rising against us rather than moving to the sea.  We have yet another mask and gathering mandate to meander through which is causing our one day at school to be limited and probably our gym as well. It’s more than school and the gym though, it’s the loss of community again that leads us to weariness and depression. Can I believe the truth I’m singing?

“Oh, come behold the works of God, the nations at His feet
He breaks the bow and bends the spear
And tells the wars to cease

Oh, mighty One of Israel, You are on our side
We walk by faith in God who burns the chariots with fire”

Today I need to be reminded of God’s character.  I need to sing loudly even if I’m alone in my car…that He breaks weapons of war, He has the leaders of the nations in His hands (even our unknown one).  We can read the history of how God has rescued this unassuming, small nation of people through millennium of war, sin, and brokenness time after time after time.  This group was not guiltless of sin, it was not made up of spectacular people, it fought with itself, it was conquered and overcome many times, yet God lead them out of the wilderness every time.  After the author of Hebrews reminds us of all the faith heroes of the Old Testament he then says in 12:1, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”  We have leagues of people over many millennium cheering us on through all the chaos of this sin cursed life.  If God proved powerful and faithful for them, how can we not trust that he will be the same for us today?  Haven’t I seen His power and faithfulness in my own life, haven’t you?

“Though oceans roar, You are the Lord of all
The one who calms the wind and waves and makes my heart be still
Though the earth gives way, the mountains move into the sea
The nations rage, I know my God is in control
Though oceans roar, You are the Lord of all
The one who calms the wind and waves and makes my heart be still
Though the earth gives way, the mountains move into the sea
The nations rage, I know my God is in control”

“I know my God is in control!” I declare loudly behind my damp mask.