Paul knew danger was waiting for him in Jerusalem. Multiple times, the Holy Spirit—through faithful believers—warned him of what lay ahead (vv. 4, 11). But Paul’s heart was resolved: “I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus” (v. 13). His goal wasn’t safety—it was obedience to His Lord, Jesus Christ.
When he arrived, he tried to unify Jewish and Gentile believers, but rumors stirred, mobs formed, and Paul was violently arrested. Still, God was working. Even chains would not stop the gospel.
🎯 Theme: Paul was ready to die for Jesus, trusting the Lord’s will above all.
🌀 Reflection: Are you willing to follow Jesus even when it’s costly? What would it look like to surrender your comfort for the sake of Christ’s name?
💬 Mission Challenge: Encourage a fellow believer who is walking through a hard season. Remind them of the hope and purpose found in Jesus—He is worth it.
As Paul journeys toward Jerusalem, he takes time to encourage believers along the way—especially the elders from Ephesus. In his farewell, Paul reminds them of his example: a life of humility, courage, and faithful teaching. He says, “I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God” (v. 27) and testifies, “I do not account my life of any value…if only I may finish my course…to testify to the gospel of the grace of God” (v. 24).
His words are heavy with love, urgency, and warning. Wolves will come. The church must be alert. But through it all, God’s grace will sustain and build up His people.
🎯 Theme: Being faithful to the end testifies to the gospel of the grace of God.
🌀 Reflection: Are you living with gospel urgency—serving, teaching, and finishing your race with joy? What part of Paul’s example challenges or encourages you most?
💬 Mission Challenge: Write down or pray over your personal mission—to live and speak the gospel. Ask God to help you “not shrink back” but keep pressing forward.
God’s Word is powerful—and when it goes forth, it exposes false religion, transforms lives, and causes real spiritual upheaval. In Ephesus, the gospel disrupts both demonic activity and economic idolatry. New believers burn their magic books (v. 19), and the name of Jesus is exalted. As the chapter says, “the Word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily” (v. 20).
But not everyone celebrates. Paul’s ministry sparks a riot led by those whose profits were threatened. The gospel still challenges idols—whether carved in silver or hidden in the heart.
🎯 Theme: The Word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.
🌀 Reflection: Is there anything you’ve been holding onto that competes with the Lordship of Jesus? What needs to be surrendered so His Word can prevail more fully in you?
💬 Mission Challenge: Share your testimony this week with someone—even briefly. The gospel that changed Ephesus is still changing lives.
God opens doors, builds His church, and brings the right people at the right time. In Corinth, Paul meets Aquila and Priscilla, receives encouragement from the Lord (vv. 9–10), and sees both Jews and Gentiles believe and be baptized (v. 8). Even through opposition and legal pressure, the gospel moves forward.
Later, we meet Apollos, a gifted speaker with partial knowledge—until Priscilla and Aquila graciously guide him in the truth. God uses Paul the builder and Apollos the encourager (1 Cor. 3:6). Everyone has a role in the mission.
🎯 Theme: Do not be afraid – Jesus is with you and has many people in a lot of places.
🌀 Reflection: Are you more like Paul, Priscilla, or Apollos in this season? How can you faithfully do your part in strengthening others?
💬 Mission Challenge: Find a way today to encourage someone in their spiritual growth—share a Scripture, pray with them, or send a kind word.
From Thessalonica to Berea to Athens, Acts 17 shows how different people respond to the same gospel. Some oppose it (v. 5), some examine it eagerly (v. 11), others mock it (v. 32)—but some believe (v. 34).
Paul reasons from the Scriptures (v. 3), explains the gospel in the marketplace (v. 17), and proclaims the one true God before philosophers at the Areopagus (vv. 22–31). His message climaxes in the resurrection of Jesus, the assurance that judgment is coming and that salvation is available to all who repent (v. 30).
🎯 Theme: God now commands all to repent, for He has fixed a day of judgment.
🌀 Reflection: Which group in this chapter do you most relate to—skeptical, searching, or surrendered? How can your heart remain open to the truth?
💬 Mission Challenge: Share one verse or truth from today’s reading with someone you know who is curious or questioning faith.
The gospel reaches Europe in Acts 16—and God’s sovereignty is on full display. The Spirit closes some doors and opens another through a vision (vv. 6–10). In Philippi, the Lord opens Lydia’s heart (v. 14), casts out a demon (v. 18), shakes a prison (v. 26), and saves a jailer and his household (vv. 30–34).
Paul and Silas, beaten and imprisoned, choose to pray and sing (v. 25). Their pain becomes a platform for praise and a witness that leads to salvation. Even injustice becomes an opportunity to defend the gospel and protect the young church (vv. 37–40).
🎯 Theme: Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.
🌀 Reflection: Where might God be using closed doors or unexpected circumstances to lead you or shape your witness?
💬 Mission Challenge: Encourage someone facing hardship today. Share how God has worked in your life during difficult seasons.
Acts 15 records the Jerusalem Council, where the early church had to answer a crucial question: Is Jesus enough? Some said Gentiles had to follow the law of Moses to be saved, but the apostles stood firm—salvation is by grace through faith in Christ alone (v. 11, Ephesians 2:1-10).
The result? A joyful affirmation of the gospel and practical steps to preserve unity between Jewish and Gentile believers. Even when disagreements followed (vv. 36–41), the mission continued. Grace held them together and moved them forward.
🎯 Theme: Salvation is by grace, not by burdening others with the law.
🌀 Reflection: When differences arise, do you fight for grace and unity? How does the gospel shape your convictions and your conversations?
💬 Mission Challenge: Encourage someone in your church family today—especially someone different from you. Affirm your shared hope in Jesus.
As I write this, I am on my seventh day of my current hospital stay. This hospitalization — or even the illness really — is not the subject of my reflections but merely a backdrop. However, I will give enough details for clarity and hopefully none for complaint.
Many of you most likely do not know that I am in the hospital, and that is because I don’t care for that sort of attention. Outside of the Christ Community prayer group and a few personal messages, I have not shared much. Ultimately, this is pride — not trying to hide things necessarily, but some difficulties are hard to share even when you should (2 Corinthians 12:9). So I’m sharing now.
Two weeks ago (May 29), I woke up with what I thought to be gout flare ups in both feet. This was odd as gout typically manifests in just one, isolated joint. I already knew that I am an atypical sort of guy, so I just was going to roll with the weird. Within an hour, both feet were fully swollen up to the ankle. By lunch, my left wrist and the little finger joint on the right hand had joined in with swelling and pain.
The next morning (May 30) I awoke to walking being nearly impossible because of excruciating pain in both feet. I needed assistance eating because the pain in both hands was nearly as bad. I still managed to walk to the bathroom a few times. Little did I know I would only walk one more time the following day.
The next Monday (June 2), Candice took me to an orthopedic doctor in Oxford. They performed x-rays and examinations that revealed my feet were “full of arthritis”, meaning there was no space in my foot not taken up by inflammation which explained why walking or even standing, and the doctor scheduled a wide array of labs to be run and started me on a steroid pack. The following day (June 3), Kevin took me to Oxford to get the labs run. And the wait began.
Long story short, steroids brought little relief and the lab results were largely inconclusive except to say that wide spread inflammation was occurring in my body. By the end of the week (June 6), the total joints inflamed and in pain expanded to both knees, the right hip, and eventually both shoulders. We went to the hospital that night and ended up staying (and are still here).
Ultimately, there is no official diagnosis, but what is known is:
There was gout involved.
Even though there initially was thought to be some sort of infection, none was found.
My body had an autoimmune response and was fighting against itself causing the wide spread inflammation to all the joints.
God is still seated on His throne, still loves me, still cares for me, can heal me if He so chooses, and — for whatever reason — has me where I need to be even if it’s not where I want to be (Romans 8:28, 2 Corinthians 4:16-17).
The reason I am writing this is because in the midst of the worst two weeks of my life, I have consistently seen and experienced the goodness of God on display (Psalm 27:13) and want to share that. So, with no further ado, let me share with you about the goodness of God.
Reflection #1 — An Excellent Wife I Have Found
10 An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. 11 The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. 12 She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life.
Proverbs 31:10-12
So far (and for the rest of this), Candice is typing instead of me. I have gained about 95% usage of my left arm and hand back and only about 75% of my right arm and hand (which also has an IV in a less-than-helpful position). This is the first collaboration of this sort Candice and I have ever done, and judging by how much she hates that she’s having to type out a reflection thanking God for her and bragging on her, this may be our last.
Over the last two weeks, Candice has tirelessly (despite exhaustion and being as overwhelmed and scared as I have been) cared for me night and day. She has advocated for me with doctors (even ferociously at times), fed me, bathed me, and loved me through this time. While I was humiliated for being so unable to do for myself, her love humbled me and reminded me that wedding vows spoken by young adults prove out by the deeper-than-romance love that God can foster between a husband and a wife.
This has not been easy for her. She didn’t expect it to be. The love that she has shown me, even as she types this now through her own tears, has preached the gospel of Jesus’s love for His Church more eloquently and effectively than my words ever could (Ephesians 5:32). Her selfless actions and unrelenting care were more than “word or talk”, showing her love “in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18).
I could not, should I live a thousand years, hope to ever repay or match her show of love and care (although I can’t wait to get to go home and try). She’s more precious than treasure (Proverbs 31:10), has all of my trust, is my favorite person and the love of my life, and has shown real-life love more than I could have ever dreamed of 22 years ago.
Reflection #2 — God Exulted Over Me With Loud Singing
The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty One who will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you by His love; He will exult over you with loud singing.
Zephaniah 3:17
We were supposed to be on a mission trip with our Christ Community youth group in New Mexico right now, but obviously we are not.
I am immensely thankful that God allows me to be one of the pastors at Christ Community, and getting to serve and disciple our kiddos is one of the greatest joys of my life. Needless to say, a large portion of my heart has been in New Mexico while my body has been confined to this hospital bed.
Sara Goldwater worked it out with Candice that they would FaceTime us so that we could participate in some of their nightly worship times. I knew we needed that, but at the time I was so mentally, physically, and emotionally overwhelmed I almost said no. Thankfully, I didn’t because the kiddos and adult leaders who are so dear to my heart ministered to me more that night than I ever have to them.
The time they spent singing and songs they chose were so carefully, lovingly, and thoughtfully arranged that by the end I was ugly crying and raising the only hand I could in worship of God.
The first song they chose was “Battle Belongs“, reminding that God is our fortress, mighty to save, and has already won the only battle that eternally matters through the cross and His empty tomb (Colossians 2:14-15).
The second song was “Firm Foundation (He Won’t)“, reminding me that Jesus is my rock and firm foundation, who has never failed in all of history, will never fail in the time that remains, and will protect and keep me through the storms of this life (Matthew 7:24-25). It brought to mind a quote from Charles Spurgeon (who dealt with debilitating gout and health problems that often left him bedridden for longer than I have been):
I have learned to kiss the waves that throw me up against the Rock of Ages.
After a verse and chorus of “Because He Lives“, and being reminded that I know who holds the future, the mission team humbled me and loved me in a way that was nearly overwhelming. They passed the phone around and one-by-one spoke something meaningful, encouraging, personal, and loving. To say that I was wrecked is a vast understatement. I was reminded of Zephaniah’s words to Israel above about how, even in times of trials and exiles, God was still in their midst, still mighty to save, still rejoicing over them. But it’s the last part of Zephaniah 3:17 that was so poignant and clear to me that night as it describes God Himself quieting His people, those He loves, by exulting over them with loud singing. I experienced God singing over us by His mission team singing over me. That memory will stay with me from here on out.
Reflection #3 — Built Up and Burdens Borne
Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
1 Thessalonians 5:11
Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:2
We have experienced such a great outpouring of love, concern, care, and prayer from our family, faith family, and friends. Difficult times are often lonely times, but that has not been our experience. I could not begin to recount all of the text messages and phone calls. Family (both biological and church) have come to sit and visit to lift spirits. The days leading up to the hospital stay, Candice did not have to cook as well as care for me because God has people in our life who took care of that, even being so thoughtful as to find out some foods our kiddos would like and sending us to the hospital with our own vending machine stockpile so as to not go without at all.
Sometimes it is not until after tragedy or loss that people step up in this way. I have often wondered why we do not share more freely how we feel with people while they are still with us. However, I do not have to wonder anymore because God has used the kindness and care of our families and friends to show His goodness toward us.
Without hesitation, Katherine and my parents have taken care of Xander for the entirety of the hospital stay, keeping him busy and worry-free while Candice and I were living out the opposite. Candice’s dad wanted to show appreciation for our helping him through similar health difficulties that we may experience the way he felt when cared for. And as far as helping bear our burdens, Kevin got me in and out of the vehicle and wheelchair multiple times, and he and Daddy literally carried me out of the house the day I went to the hospital.
Keri was still able to go with our church on the mission trip, and we did not have to doubt for a second that she would be cared for, looked after, and loved like she was their own (because that’s how our faith family loves). We received many text messages at various times making sure that we knew she was being cared for looked after (while still letting her be the independent young woman she is). We are thankful for the spiritual aunts, uncles, and cousins who have adopted our kiddos and love them.
While tangible shows of care and physical presence are big, nothing has moved me more than the sheer volume of people praying for us. Too often, we treat prayer like the least we can do, but what more can you do than seek God Most High on behalf of someone? I felt like the man in Mark 2:1-12 whose friends carried him on the roof of where Jesus was, removed a section, and lowered their friend to where Jesus could help him. It’s humbling to know that so many were willing to approach the throne of grace and seek mercy from the King on my behalf (Hebrews 4:16). It is the most they could do, and they did it tirelessly.
When you are feeling alone in sickness and pain, it’s too easy to be isolated, but God in His goodness, as reminded us at every turn, that He is with us and has given us family, friends, and a faith family to remind us of that.
Reflection #4 — Lord From Sorrows Deep I Call
Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God.
Psalm 42:11
Sunday night/the wee hours of Monday morning was probably the longest of my life thus far. I have been avoiding pain medication as much as possible, but should have taken it sooner that night. The pain got to be too much, and coincided with a night requiring multiple lab draws with arms too swollen to find veins. I had just become overwhelmed.
In normal circumstances, I use the Dwell app (an audio Bible/Scripture meditation app) to take my mind off of difficulties or trials, but I could not work my phone or hold a Bible in my hands. My mind was so frantically distracted that I found it difficult to bring Scripture to mind. I laid in the dark, pleading with the Lord, praying for help or relief or whatever.
Now, if you know Candice, sleep has always been very precious to her. If you know hospitals at night, you know sleep is for well people at home. However, Candice stood over my bed for hours, playing various playlists of Scripture verses to help me fix my mind on things above, on Jesus, “not on things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:1-2). She played “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” to help the “Word of Christ dwell in [me] richly” more than the pain that overwhelmed me physically (Colossians 3:16).
Dark times can cloud our vision. Sometimes hope is eclipsed by temporary trials. But for those who have been saved by grace through faith in our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, “suffering produces endurance”, “endurance produces character”, “character produces hope”, and “hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:3-5). My hope remains because it is not fickle, moveable, earthly hope; my hope is a person. My hope’s name is Jesus. And I can cast “all [my] anxieties on Him, because He cares for [me]” (1 Peter 5:7).
One of the clearest evidences of God’s goodness is that He has given us His Word — not only to reveal Himself, but to renew our minds, anchor our hearts, and strengthen us in every season of life. In His mercy, God does not leave us to be shaped by the world around us, but transforms us through the renewal of our minds so that we can discern His will and walk in it (Romans 12:2). His Word brings comfort and life in the midst of affliction, reviving our hearts when they are weary (Psalm 119:50). When our minds are fixed on Him through the promises of Scripture, He surrounds us with perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3). Rather than letting anxiety consume us, He invites us to bring everything to Him in prayer, and as we dwell on what is true and good, His peace guards our hearts and minds in Christ (Philippians 4:6-8). In trials, His Word gives strength and courage, equipping us for every step of obedience (Joshua 1:8-9). Because Scripture is breathed out by God, it thoroughly equips us for every good work — not just in easy seasons, but especially when life is hard (2 Timothy 3:16-17). When we delight in His Word and meditate on it daily, we become like trees planted by water — stable, nourished, and fruitful no matter the conditions around us (Psalm 1:2-3). And as we not only hear His Word but live it out, we experience His blessing and see more clearly who He is (James 1:22-25). In spiritual battle, His Word is our sword (Ephesians 6:17), and even Jesus, in the wilderness of temptation, showed us that we do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4).
Every verse is a testimony to His kindness — He has not left us in the dark, but has spoken light and truth to sustain us.
That night, when my body had failed me and there was no strength to attempt to battle for myself, God sustained me with His Word. It was a refreshing reminder of His goodness, goodness I learned of from His Word and experience anew through His Word again and again. Here are some examples of both song and Scripture playlists:
I do not (we do not) write this seeking sympathy or trying to complain. I am thankful to have a God who does not leave me nor forsake me (Hebrews 13:5, Deuteronomy 31:6) but instead meets me in my darkness with His light (John 1:5, Psalm 18:28).
On the way to the hospital last Friday night, Kevin reminded me of Satan’s words to God when seeking to tear apart Job’s life to make him curse God (Job 1:8-12, 2:3-6). Now, I am far from Job, and I am not saying this is all some elaborate test of my faith. The consequences of the Fall on the world and within human bodies (death, decay, sickness, etc.) is enough. But if you think on Satan’s rationale for needing to hurt Job, his earthly logic seems sound:
9 Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? 10 Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11 But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.”
Job 1:9-11
and,
3 And the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason.” 4 Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. 5 But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.”
job 2:3-5
Kevin reminded me that Satan knew that by attacking Job’s health it could fundamentally affect how he lived and thought. So Satan was right — insomuch as the things of this earth being all that there are. His logic, at face value, was sound. However, what Satan discounted — what he always overlooks in his passion and sinful pride — is that the LORD is not of this world. The Creator of all that is, the King of kings and Lord of lords is not bound by the logic of a being He created because He Himself is Truth.
When He saves people, He fundamentally changes them from the inside out, making them new creations not religious converts (2 Corinthians 5:17). His change in those He saves is not a mere change of mind but truly a change from death to life, delivering them from “the domain of darkness” to the “kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13-14).
I am not Job. But I have been saved by grace through faith in Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-9). My faith has wavered at times these last two weeks, I have forgotten who and whose I am, but praise God when all else is stripped away and I find myself at rock bottom, Jesus is the Rock (Psalm 18:2, 1 Corinthians 10:4).
I have to remind myself that God is no more or less good if He chooses to heal me immediately and/or completely or if whatever purpose He allows this to go on. He is good because that is who He is.
God is good all the time.
And all the time God is good.
As difficult as this period is (and seems to continue to be), I can rejoice that in the midst of sickness and pain I have seen the goodness of God and can see more clearly the sweetness and beauty of Jesus’s return when He will dwell with His people, wiping away their last tears with His nail-scarred hand as well as wiping away death, mourning, crying, and pain (Revelation 21:3-4). All of those things have an expiration date that is set and sure.
The goodness of God has no expiration date.
We are thankful to have the opportunity to share with you and would appreciate your prayers. If anything has helped you, lifted your spirits, or helped you see the goodness of God in Christ, then I’m glad to be where I am. And I am learning to be content that whatever season I find myself in I am not alone for He is with me.
The Holy Spirit came with power, just as Jesus promised, filling the believers and birthing the Church. Peter boldly preached Christ crucified and risen, and the Spirit moved—three thousand believed, repented, were baptized, and joined the family of faith. What followed was a Spirit-shaped community: learning, praying, sharing, worshiping. The Church was alive—and the Lord kept adding to it, day by day (v.47). That same Spirit still empowers, convicts, and unites us today.
🎯 Theme: Jesus was crucified according to God’s plan – but God raised Him!
🌀 Reflection: Are you making space for the Spirit and the Word to shape your daily life and church family?
💬 Mission Challenge: Share a truth from today’s chapter or offer to pray for someone today—just like the early Church, let Jesus be seen through your words and actions.
Sunday’s coming, and I’m excited! Well, I’m weary and a bit worn, but there’s more to my excitement than what my body feels and how this world grates at my spirit.
Our #dailyPSALMchallenge has been going on since January, and the Psalm for Saturday, May 17 (Psalm 137) has been on my heart for a few weeks now. We looked at it this past Wednesday night with our CCC youth to help us understand Daniel 1. I believe this Psalm gives context to our worship gatherings, too. Bear with me as I flesh this out.
1 By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion. 2 On the willows there we hung up our lyres. 3 For there our captors required of us songs, and our tormentors, mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”
4 How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?
Psalm 137 begins with weeping. The people of God are in exile in Babylon, far from home, grieving all that they’ve lost. They sit by the rivers of Babylon, remembering home, and they hang up their instruments. Their captors mock them and ask for songs — Sing us some of those Zion songs! Sing to us of this great Yahweh! Sing!
But how can they?
That’s a question many of us find ourselves asking. How can we sing in this broken world? How can we sing when our hearts are heavy with grief, anxiety, pain, etc.? How do we lift our voices when we’re surrounded by sin and sorrow?
We sing because Jesus was “despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3). He understands. He is acquainted with our feelings (Hebrews 4:15, Psalm 34:18).
He was the One on whom the Lord “has laid…the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). He took our sin and shame upon Himself (1 Peter 2:24). He knows the anguish that accompanies all of that, and He bore it all for us (Isaiah 53:4-5). We sing because Jesus humbled Himself and took on the death we deserved on the cross (Philippians 2:8, Romans 5:8, Galatians 3:13).
We sing because God “has highly exalted [Jesus] and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name” (Philippians 2:9). His name is now our hope (Acts 4:12), our refuge (Proverbs 18:10), and our anthem (Psalm 96:1-3).
We sing because Jesus lives! The grave could not hold Him (Acts 2:24). And “because He lives, we can face tomorrow”.
Here’s some good news for you: if Jesus can sustain our tomorrows, He most assuredly carries us today (Matthew 6:34, Deuteronomy 33:27).
Because Jesus lives, exile is not the end of the story. He has gone to prepare a place for us, and when our sojourning in this old world is over, He will come and bring us home to be with Him forever (John 14:2-3, 6).
Those exiled worship leaders by that river of Babylon were distressed (and just plain old stressed, too). They had hung up their instruments and laid them by, but they had hope that their Rock and Redeemer was not done with them.
I believe the way the Psalms were laid out for us gives us the answer to “How can we sing the LORD’s song in a foreign land?” Psalm 137 is followed by one of those songs of Zion in Psalm 138.
Psalm 138 is a response to the exile-weary, world-weary, pain-weary, weary-weary heart. It’s the sound of a soul remembering how to sing. Where Psalm 137 ends with heaviness, Psalm 138 begins with hope. Even in the presence of false gods, grief, or enemies — David sings. He sings because the LORD answers (v. 3), strengthens (v. 3), and preserves (v. 7). He sings because the steadfast love of the LORD “endures forever” (v. 8).
So how do we sing in this foreign land, so far from the shores of heaven?
How do we sing in the midst of pain and sorrow that seems to stretch out like a horizon?
3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Just Keith Harris 