How Great is Our God

Last week I wrote a short post asking for prayers because of a difficulty at our school.  Many of my readers are also my facebook friends and a couple days after that post, my status was the words to the song "How Great is our God."   A few people asked me after that, if the difficulty had gone away and if that is why I put those song lyrics on my facebook.  The answer to that question is "no".  However, I can understand the confusion because had the issue been resolved, I probably would have updated my status with something similar to that.  However, the question got me to thinking, and there is a story behind why I posted those lyrics. 

On January 5 I celebrated two years living in the Dominican Republic.  That day, I spent a lot of time reflecting.  I remembered how I felt the day that I arrived, so nervous and excited and full of faith.  I remembered all of the things that have happened since that day, both good times and bad.  But most of all, I thought about how much I have been blessed in my time here.  The lyrics to the song "How Great is Our God" came into my head.  I didn't even have that song on my Itunes, but that day I went and downloaded it, and for the last month I have listened to it repeatedly and even when I am not listening to it, I am singing it in my head all the time. 

A few days after that was when this new difficulty began.  That song has helped me in these weeks.  Because it's true, even when "things are bad", God is good.  When we are worried and feel powerless, God is in control.  God is great, and He is in control, and He WILL work everything out for His glory, and one day ALL WILL see how great our God is!  The days that are the most difficult are the days that I need to listen to that song the most.  That was probably the case the day that I posted the lyrics on facebook. When I listen to it, I can't help but close my eyes, sing along with all I have and I am filled with peace.

It is easy to praise and glorify God when times are good, but even in the middle of a difficult time, God still deserves our praise.  In fact, He uses times of difficulty to bring us closer to Him.  That has definitely been my experience over the last two years.  When everything is going well, sometimes we can fool ourselves into thinking we don't really need God, we've got it all under control.  But in the midst of home sickness, cultural frustrations, and other struggles there is no denying that we need God and that He is the one who brings us through.

Last Saturday, we had a concert fundraiser for the school.  We knew that what we needed the most was to praise God together in unity.  That day was a stressful day, it seemed like everything was going wrong as we prepared.  The praise team didn't even have time to practice.  But we powered our way through and in the end it was an amazing night.  We had such a great turn out of our students, their parents and families, and other members of the community.  Our dance ministry performed, the combined praise team performed and a woman from sister church, Diana, sang a few songs as well.  At the last minute we did a little bit of switching around of the schedule and the last song ended up being sung by Diana.  I was busy figuring out the changes when she began singing, but then I realized, she was singing "How Great is our God" in Spanish.  I was so excited, I didn't even know that there was a Spanish version.  It was such a blessing to Eddy and me.  Although Eddy had heard it several times in English and can basically understand the words, I think it really touched him to hear it in his native language. Also, it was so amazing to me that the song that had been "my song" for the last month was now being sung by this large group of people including children and parents from our school.  And I took it as a personal reminder just how great our God is.  Here are the lyrics, in case you are not familiar with the song:

The splendor of a King, clothed in majesty
Let all the earth rejoice
All the earth rejoice

He wraps himself in Light, and darkness tries to hide
And trembles at His voice
Trembles at His voice

How great is our God, sing with me
How great is our God, and all will see
How great, how great is our God

Age to age He stands
And time is in His hands
Beginning and the end
Beginning and the end

The Godhead Three in One
Father Spirit Son
The Lion and the Lamb
The Lion and the Lamb

Name above all names
Worthy of our praise
My heart will sing
How great is our God

How great is our God, sing with me
How great is our God, and all will see
How great, how great is our God