This is another song I first heard when the Steve Pettit Evangelistic Team was at our church for a Sunday morning a few months ago and which is now on their new CD is Before You Now. In my line of sight while they were singing was a young man who had just had an ostomy in January after having suffered with Crohn’s disease for something like 14 years, and I couldn’t help but think of how applicable these words were for him and for several who had undergone various trials. Some background to the song is here. I wish there was a video of the Pettit team singing it, but you can hear a clip here or here.

O soul, are you weary from wave upon wave
Of grief and affliction whom no man can save?
Has sickness surrounded, or unending night?
Uncertainty stolen your joy and your might?

O doubting, o fearful– remember His care,
The helpless and hopeless need never despair
For from your afflictions His glory shall spring–
The deeper your sorrow, the louder you’ll sing!
Remember your Father– His promise, His love:

“I’ll never forsake you, this pain will not break you,
For I will remake you for unending joy;
My promise is faithful though now it is painful;
No power can trample my covenant love.”

Remember your Savior– His grief and His pain,
The lonely affliction, unmerited shame.
Though you had betrayed Him, He died in your place;
The joy set before Him He offers by grace.
Remember your Father– His promise, His love:

“I’ll never forsake you, this pain will not break you,
For I will remake you for unending joy;
My promise is faithful though now it is painful;
No power can trample my covenant love.”

By David Ward

I used to post hymns or spiritual songs on Sundays. But since we’ve moved here, I don’t have as much time on the computer on Sundays, due mainly to a longer drive times and services that are a bit longer than we were used to. Sunday dinners are often quick and simple now, and I leave the dishes in the sink and catch a nap. 🙂 And I don’t usually have anything in mind beforehand to get a post ready for Sunday.

But a song that I have considered posting for the last couple of weeks is “Whatever It Takes.” I was unfamiliar with it until our pastor played it just before prayer time on a Wednesday evening. He played the audio of this rendition by Kevin Inafuku from his CD He Is.

Whatever it takes
To keep me tender toward You,
Whatever it takes, Lord
I beg You to do.
Whatever You must lead me through,
Whatever it takes, Lord … do.

At times I hear your voice and try to hide
But patiently you draw me to your side.
I may not always see
That Your words are life to me.
So many times I’ve missed You,
Help me, Lord, to not resist You

Sometimes my heart gets hard and I can’t see
That Your correction is protecting me
But as I look within
The darkness of my sin
Breaks my heart and leaves me tender:
Gratefully I then surrender.

Whatever it takes
To keep me tender toward You,
Whatever it takes, Lord
I beg You to do.
Whatever You must lead me through
Whatever it takes, Lord,
There’s too much at stake, Lord.
Whatever it takes, Lord … do.

By Jon Mohr

Besides Kevin’s beautiful voice and phrasing, the song’s message arrested me. I wrestled with whether I could truly say, “Whatever It Takes.” It’s something I wrestle with from time to time, like in a previous post When Afraid to Surrender.

I can say it, by God’s grace, but instead of a full open invitation, it’s more of a squinting through the fingers of my hands as they cover my face while hoping it isn’t anything catastrophic. I can’t help wincing a bit, because God does sometimes call His people to go through excruciating things. But He does promise His grace, His presence, and His help as well.

I can’t go through a list of potential crises and say, one by one, “Yes, Lord, if You want to do that…Yes, Lord, to that…” I don’t know that that’s what He asks. But I can say, “OK, Lord,” while still wincing and squinting and trust His grace is sufficient for even that weakness.