This song wasn’t meant to be anything more than a prayer for some friends who were facing a greater loss than I could even imagine. It was written alone, quickly through a lot of tears without even giving much room to refine it. I’m stunned to see that with zero promotion it has gained over 1 million streams on Spotify alone. That shows me something, and it isn’t how great I am. It shows me how great my need is, how great OUR need is. To paraphrase loosely many great teachers I’ve heard on the subject (John Piper and Paige Brown to name a couple), Suffering is not a mere byproduct of the Christian life on the way to glory, it is the means by which glory is birthed. None of us reach eternity unscathed, and that is by design. The pains we feel are labor pains, not death spasms. They are giving birth to an eternal joy and peace that cannot be imagined rightly this side of heaven.
In wrestling with all of the questions that surround any sort of suffering or tragedy, The only hope and comfort to truly be found is in Jesus. The finished work of the cross reminds us daily that while we don’t have the answers now, eternity will be worth the fight and worth the wait. One day we too will be resurrected and we will see with unveiled eyes, and behold our prize. All of our questions find their true answer in Christ. Not in what he gives, but in who he is. No matter what we go through, we have a hope that is far greater than our circumstance. I pray this song brings comfort in whatever valley or dark season they might be facing right now.
I write 99.9 percent of my songs with other people in collaboration over several hours, days and sometimes even years! This song was formed in a moment of worship, almost spontaneously in about 30 minutes. It came quickly and without any sort of effort. Truly it felt like the Lord gave me the words to say and melodies to sing immediately.
-- BRYAN FOWLER