If I Ever Needed You...

The tree is down, the Christmas lights are turned off, all the decorations are put away.  The house looks much starker without any holiday festivity to liven it up.  Visiting family is gone, Christmas break is almost over.  I don't know about you, but January, February, and March are NOT my favorite months here in Oregon.  They are cold, dark, rainy and dreary.  We are shut inside a majority of the time. I already am feeling kind of down as I get back to the regular (sometimes mundane) tasks of child-rearing, homeschooling, laundry, mess-cleaning, diaper changing, dish washing, tear wiping, bottom wiping...you know the drill.  I try to look forward to the colors and (semi) sunshine that Spring will bring, but face it, it's still quite far away...

If I ever needed You, I need You now.

I always feel a special connection to the Lord when I listen to any of my Matt Redman worship albums.  I'm not sure exactly what it is, but his songs are meditative and personal, and really draw me into God's presence.  One of the songs on his latest album is one that really speaks to me.  I could listen to it nonstop all day long!  One of the lines from the song describes this season in life right now:

Just like the winter waiting for the sun again, I need You now.

Things may look stark and bleak, and they may look that way for awhile. But instead of just looking ahead to the next 'best' thing, in the NOW I can be assured that He promises rest for the weary, new strength for the exhausted, peace for the troubled, and hope for the hopeless.  He comforts us in our affliction, gives us help from the ultimate Helper (the Holy Spirit), and daily bears our burdens.  He generously gives wisdom, won't let us be tempted beyond what we can bear, and is a very present help in trouble.  And after receiving His ultimate gift of forgiveness, nothing can separate us from His love, no one can snatch us out of His hand, and we can look forward to an eternal home with Him in heaven.**  Things are starting to sound a little less bleak!

Oh, living water. Oh, God, my Savior,
If I ever needed You, I need You now
Oh, living water, Oh, God, my Healer,
If I ever needed You, I need You now

In the waiting, my hope is in Him.  In the waiting, my joy is found in Him. I'm not just going to suck it up and 'hope for the best' in my own power.  I will never be able to bring myself peace or satisfaction through something I muster up from in myself.  I fall short in my humanness.  And it doesn't last. I am choosing to trust in the only One who can satisfy every deepest longing and bring peace and joy that will never end. 

Just like the desert needs the blessing of the rain,
Just like the winter waiting for the sun again - I need You now.
Just like a river as it reaches for the sea,
Just like a song, it needs the sound of melody - I need You now.  

I'm not complete without Him.  We go hand in hand.  We were all created to love and to be loved.  We were all created to worship. The question is, what or who are you going to worship?  He is pursuing you even now, with open arms.

You will call and I will come
To Your river I will run
I bow down
I need You now

You can find all the lyrics here,  and hear it below.

 **Here are some of the Bible references where the promises came from that I listed above (in order):
Isaiah 40:30-31, Isaiah 41:10, Matthew 11:28-29, Philippians 4:6-7, Romans 5:1-2, 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, John 14:16, Matthew 6:25-32, Psalm 68:19, James 1:5, 1 Corinthians 10:13, Psalm 46:1-3, 1 John 1:9, Romans 8:38-39, John 10:27-30 and John 14:1-3.