Can You Hear the Children Sing, "He's Able?"
Brenda VerWay is a daughter of her Heavenly Father, a wife, mother, grandmother, and friend. She grew up in poverty but describes her life as one of great riches. She is a new writer, and I welcome her.
“He heals the broken hearted, he sets the captive free, he made the lame to walk again and caused the blind to see (peek a boo).”
I teach small children every week in our church’s Sunday School. Over the years, I’ve heard He’s Able sung, complete with hand motions, by more young voices than I can count. It wasn’t until today that the words really hit me. We teach children Sunday School songs to teach them truths from God’s Word that we pray will stay with them for the rest of their lives. This song contains many of those truths.
Our stay-at-home worship this week included Scripture reading from Psalm 147. There God says of himself that “He heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds (v.3)”. It seemed as if I didn’t hear the rest of the Psalm while someone in our family read to the end. My mind began to race. The tears began to flow. You see this past month or so I have seen major tragedy in the lives of people that I know and love.
A high school friend buried her firstborn son after a tragic accident. I read what she wrote of her God, “He is so good.”
By now, nearly everyone has seen video and pictures from the devastating floods caused by dam failures near Midland, Michigan. We ministered for 10 years in Midland. It’s home to us as much or more than Chicago is. The area suffered what’s been called a 500- year-flood. Within two hours of the failure and breach, more than 10,000 residents immediately evacuated.
People I love lost much. People I love lost everything. The devastation is really beyond what we can even imagine. I have scanned through Facebook pictures, read comments, and watched videos. One video stood out to me. Our Jennifer’s first grade teacher was interviewed by a reporter. She talked like it was any other day. She gave details of so much damage. They own a rental home next to their residence. The rental provides income to two Christian school teachers in their retirement years. The damage to the properties approaches six figures. The news report shows her praying with a woman who was overwhelmed by the damage to her daughter’s house. At the end of the interview, she spoke of her God and about the life that He has given her as she surveyed the destruction in front of her, “We are so blessed.”
A few days ago, I found out the toddler grandson of Mike’s and my youth pastor and his wife had died during a tragic drowning accident in a neighbor’s backyard. I am stunned and emotional. I’m a new grandmother with a little grandson too. The heartache of this child’s death was too great. How could this happen? How could they get through this? How could their son and his wife endure this pain? You see, this toddler’s parents and grandparents are in pastoral ministry like my husband and I are. Could they live out what they preach and what they believe? I read what his bereaved daddy wrote of his God, “Christ can redeem the most devastating pain and loss.” I listened today as his grandpa, my youth pastor, spoke of his God, “We know that this will be the best thing that has ever happened to us and to (our son and daughter-in-law) because I believe everything I preached last week on the sovereignty of God out of Isaiah 40:13-31. And today I believe it even more.”
My husband, my pastor just took our church family through the book of Job. I really do see God work out in the life of Job something beautiful after so much tragedy. I hear Job speak of his God, “And he said, ‘Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord (Job 1:21).’” Later In chapter 2, Job says, “Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this Job did not sin with his lips.’” At the end of the book, we see God blesses Job more than at the beginning. Job dies an old man and full of days. He dies a more satisfied man who loves his God.
So as I look at the lives of people I know and love suffer great tragedy and respond with praise for our God and trust in his plan, I am encouraged. I praise God for His grace in their lives at this time. And when in time, I get back into the classroom with my precious children and hear them sing, “He heals the broken-hearted,” I will smile and say, YES HE DOES!
As always I welcome your feedback and any suggestions you might have for an upcoming Lunchtime Musing.
Mike VerWay
Pastor for Preaching & Vision