The Redeemer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DMtSaHoKKA

The above link is for the song "The Redeemer" by Sanctus Real and the lyrics are below this post.

          I listened to this song recently on my iPod and after paying more attention to the lyrics, I noticed that the words resonated with my own life. Lately it seems that maybe I have more prayer requests than usual. With my mom's back having troubles, my 10 year old dog Maggie getting sick recently and having to be put down, uncertainty about my future education, car troubles, and a few others, I find I'm having to rely on God's strength rather than my own efforts more often than in previous years. Now I know that there are myriads of other people out there in the world with WAY worse problems than mine, but in the moment, it feels like each problem is a mountain to climb over before I can see the promised land of a more peaceful life. I keep reaching the summit of one mountain and make my way over it, only to find another one looming at me just ahead, just waiting for me to struggle and give up. Whenever I feel this way I try to listen to songs like "The Redeemer" that remind me that no matter what comes my way, I still believe in God because He can make anything new, even my own tattered heart that I don't always wear on my sleeve. This song serves as a reminder to me that I might want to give up on my problems, my faith might be waning and I may have lost hope for some things to happen, but despite it all we can keep faith in God because he is unchanging and will always be there to carry us when we can walk no more. We can't always explain why people constantly have problems or have unanswered prayers, we can only pray that God will one day give us a clue as to why some of these things happened.
          For example, I was reading the book called Crazy Love by Francis Chan. In one of the chapters, he wrote about a young 14 year old girl named Brooke Bronkowski who loved God and who spent her money to buy Bibles to give out to her friends. She said this in an essay she wrote at the age of 12:  "You see, I'll be one of those people who live to be history makers at a young age."  She ended up accomplishing her goal because, sad as it was, her freshman year of high school, she died in a tragic car accident. Because of her legacy as a person who loved God, over 1,500 people attended her funeral, at which there were around 200 people who came to Christ during the service. Because of the Bronkowski family's loss of someone they loved, there are now 200 people that now have a place in heaven because of the power of a single life's influence.
          Like it says in the song: "I don't have every answer in life, but I'm trusting You one day at a time." We can't know God's ultimate plan. All we can do is to trust that He has everything under control and that no matter what happens, God is always there to run to for comfort when we need Him.

Verse 1:
Sometimes I just wanna start over
Cuz' everything looks like a wreck
And I need the courage to carry on
Cuz' I can't see what's ahead

Verse 2:
And there are places I've wished I could be
Battles I've wanted to win
Dreams that have slipped through my hands
I may never be back again

Chorus:
But I'm still a dreamer
A believer
Oh, I lost my faith in so many things
but I still believe in You
Cuz You can make anything new

Verse 3:
Sometimes I just wish we could say
All the things that are easy to hear
Ignore the injustice we see
And explain every unanswered prayer
But I'd rather speak honestly
And wear a tattered heart on my sleeve
Cuz' in the middle of my broken dreams
Redemption is here

Chorus 2:
And I'm still a dreamer
A believer
Oh, I lost my faith in so many things
but I still believe in You
Cuz You are the answer
The Redeemer
Oh, I've given up on too many things
But I'm not giving up on you
Cuz You can make anything new

Bridge:
I don't have every answer in life
But I'm trusting You one day at a time
Cuz You can make a weak heart stay alive
Forever
And this is where heaven and earth collide
I lift my hands, I give my life
This is how my weary heart stays alive

End:
Oh, I'm still a dreamer
Still a believer
And You are the answer
The Redeemer
Cuz You can make anything new
Yeah, You can make anything new