Do you remember the worst moments of your life? Burning recollections that flare up, taunting you with a sense of failure and shortcoming. Wretched moments. Do you remember feeling a sense of hope after a long winter season? Times when grace and peace brought you to your knees in gratitude. Salvation moments. Moments when you were rescued from the miry clay, and delivered safely to solid ground on the other side of the raging rivers.
We are wretched.
Standing rigid by someone you love, unwilling to acknowledge your mistake when you betrayed their trust. Seeing the pained expression on your child's face when you lost your cool, holding fast to your right to discipline. Letting that hurtful, harsh criticism fly from your mouth without regard for how it cut through the heart of a friend. We are wretched.
Maybe you don't see glimmers of yourself in the scenes above. Maybe you have been the one hurt. Your spouse cheated. Your parents screamed at you. Your friend betrayed your trust. The disappointment and pain held weighed down, pulling you into the darkness of despair. You longed for relief -- but the relief didn't come -- in desperation, you looked for an escape from the pain.
We are wretched, but the story does not end there.
Charity Gail's, Thank You Jesus For The Blood is a powerful reminder of how Jesus has rescued us. He plucks out of the pit where there is loneliness and heartache. The words of this song put a layer of truth on top of our pain, making us whole again. When I was lost, Jesus "broke my chains, freed my soul. For the first time, I had hope."
Sometimes the lyrics of a song reach deep down inside, and we recognize ourselves as the melody moves through each verse. We all have a rescue story. Maybe for you it is addiction, or like me, despair. Perhaps you are still trapped behind a curtain of anxiety or doubt. Maybe you come from a long history of broken relationships or epic failures in life. When we find ourselves stuck in the muck, wounded on the battlefield, scarred by hurt from those around us, we need rescuing.
I know a thing or two about being rescued. Almost 20 years ago, my world shifted dangerously. My darkest days came after the birth of our fourth child. Hopelessness descended on me like a dark, heavy curtain. Imagine the inner conflict, holding a brand new life and simultaneously wanting to run away from it all. I experienced what felt like an unyielding sorrow -- my heart breaking into a million pieces. No one could see my pain. No one could help. I felt all alone.
My secret strength and shield around me,You are salvation's ray of brightness shining on the hillside,Always the champion of my cause.So all I need to do is call out to You,Singing to You, the praise-worthy God.And every time I do, I'm safe and sound in You.When the spirit of death wrapped chains around meWhen terrifying torrents of destruction overwhelmed meAnd took me to death's door, to doom's domain;I cried to Him in my distress, the delivering God,And from His temple-throne He heard my troubled cry. My sobs came right into His heartAs He turned His face to rescue me.-“Psalms: Poetry on Fire,” Psalm 18:1-6, Brian Simmons
My journey through the winter season of depression was a road of darkness I would rather not travel again. However, that painful journey took me to places with Jesus that I may have otherwise missed -- this is my experience of the Kingdom like a double-edged sword. My heart both ached and soared as I turned to God and God alone. I learned the upside-down truth that even in my distress, God is good, faithful, and He is for me.
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. (James 1:2-5, NIV)
I have journals filled with scripture -- the truth of the Word written out letter by letter. Writing scripture and soaking in worship helped me create a roadmap through the dark nights of my soul. I experienced God's goodness as He healed places deep inside me. He is the faithful God who stayed in the boat with me through all the stormy seas and never left me to drown.
Is your current season dark and heavy around you? Are you more connected to being wretched than hopeful? Settle in and take a moment to let the words of worship wash over you. Be encouraged by the tender-hearted truth of Jesus. He is for you.
Thank You Jesus, for the blood appliedThank You Jesus, it has washed me whiteThank You Jesus, You have saved my lifeBrought me from the darkness into glorious light
We all need rescuing. We all have dark, wretched moments. There is nothing more powerful than the blood of Jesus poured over the stormy seas of our own disasters. Thank you, Jesus, for the "wonder-working power of your blood.”
See the full interview behind the song Thank You Jesus For The Blood here.
Tracey Dahl, M.A. is a writer and Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) in Langley, BC (Canada). She is married to Ryan Dahl (Founder of PraiseCharts) and the mother of four grown children. Thank You Jesus For The Blood was written by Charity Gayle, David Gentiles, Steven Musso, Ryan Kennedy, and Bryan McCleery.
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