WORSHIP REFLECTIONS are weekly devotionals based on worship songs/hymns. Our hope is that this content encourages your love and adoration of Christ Jesus as you grow in closer communion with Him through personal worship.
Rod Ellis, Worship Pastor at Woodburn Baptist Church, presents this worship song devotional based on the song "Living Hope".
I want to start by telling you all a story. Let’s rewind back to 2020. I was a worship pastor at a local church and we experienced something I’m sure many of you have. One of my primary worship leaders contracted Coronavirus. This was a volunteer that had been with me since my early days at this church…back when we had almost no one on our team. He had faithfully led alongside me through all of our changes and covered me and my family in prayer all along.
He was certainly one of those extreme cases. Every day was a new outlook….mostly bad. In fact, there were many weeks my senior pastor and I looked at the church calendar to assess when a funeral may be if he does in fact pass away.
After months in intensive care…positive progress started happening. We thanked God for those positive moments, but certainly we knew the person coming out the other side of this illness would not be the same as prior. I was just sure that after all of the damage to his lungs and body, singing would not be something that would continue in his life.
However…God had very different plans.
God moved in a mighty way and my dear friend came home after so many months in the hospital seemingly on the brink of death.
As he continued his journey of healing, God moved once again. His voice returned in full force. He may have needed to take a few extra breaths, but his singing voice was once again ready to make a joyful noise.
Eventually he returned to singing with our worship team. His first Sunday back he led this song, “Stand In Your Love.”
With that story in mind, listen to some of these lyrics.
When darkness tries to roll over my bones
When sorrow comes to steal the joy I own
When brokenness and pain is all I know
I won’t be shaken, I won’t be shaken
My fear doesn’t stand a chance
When I stand in Your love
To hear his testimony of trials and difficulties while battling this illness…often asking the question out of fear, “Why keep going?” We can rest in the promise of an eternity in Heaven if that was God’s will for my friend, but in those moments of fear, doubt, worry, anxiety…etc. We can find peace because of the assurances of God.
Song writer, Ethan Hulse cited 1 John 4:18 as a primary focus for this song.
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”
Now in this verse John is talking about the fear of final judgment. That there is no fear in the perfect love we receive from God. And we know from Proverbs 1:7 that fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. It is the same God now and forever that loves us and casts out the fear of wrath and eternal punishment for those who believe.
If we love God and are walking with the assurances of eternity, those moments of fear that creep in can be banished.
I think of it this way…Philippians 4:13 reminds us that “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”
Our God has overcome Satan, sin and death. We can certainly rest in that promise.