Worship Matters

During the Christmas season, many people find themselves in the midst of impossibly difficult circumstances. They find out the hard way that pain and sorrow are no respecters of holidays. For these individuals, Christmas becomes the most terrible time of the year.

Recently I ran across an insightful and hopeful post by Matt Redmond called “Christmas is for Those Who Hate it Most.” He writes, “We have it sunk deep into our collective cultural consciousness that Christmas is for the happy people. You know, those with idyllic family situations enjoyed around stocking-strewn hearth dreams.” Matt then goes on to remind us that Jesus came for those who needed to be rescued. I found this paragraph particularly moving:

Jesus came for those who look in the mirror and see ugliness. Jesus came for daughters whose fathers never told them they were beautiful. Christmas is for those who go to “wing night” alone. Christmas is for those whose lives have been wrecked by cancer, and the thought of another Christmas seems like an impossible dream. Christmas is for those who would be nothing but lonely if not for social media. Christmas is for those whose marriages have careened against the retaining wall and are threatening to flip over the edge. Christmas is for the son whose father keeps giving him hunting gear when he wants art materials. Christmas is for smokers who cannot quit even in the face of a death sentence. Christmas is for prostitutes, adulterers, and porn stars who long for love in every wrong place. Christmas is for college students who are sitting in the midst of the family and already cannot wait to get out for another drink. Christmas is for those who traffic in failed dreams. Christmas is for those who have squandered the family name and fortune—they want “home” but cannot imagine a gracious reception. Christmas is for parents watching their children’s marriage fall into disarray.

Whatever situation you’re in, Christmas reminds us that God has not left us hopeless or despairing. A Savior has come, who is Christ the Lord. “Because of all that Christ has done on the cross, the manger becomes the most hopeful place in a universe darkened with hopelessness.”

At our recent Sovereign Grace Pastor’s Conference I sang a spontaneous song for people facing impossible situations. If you’re in the middle of a difficult time, or know someone else who is, I pray this song will be encouraging. You can download the MP3 here.

I am the God of the impossible
I make rivers flow through deserts of sand
I am working in your situation
In ways you would not understand

I am the God of the immeasurable
The riches of my grace you can’t conceive
I’ve poured them on you through Jesus, my Son
They’re yours if you only believe

‘Cause there is nothing
There is nothing
That’s too hard for me

I am the God of the unsearchable
You cannot know the mystery of my ways
But with perfect wisdom and perfect mercy
I work them out for my praise

I am the God of the impossible
And although you can’t see a way through
I’m using your circumstances
To do my work in you

For there is nothing
There is nothing
Too hard for me to do
‘Cause I’m working in you
And I will have my way
For the glory of my name
‘Cause there is nothing,
There is nothing that’s too hard for me to do

And you will see one day
That I did this for you
So that you might know
I am the God of the impossible
So that you might know I am
The God of the immeasurable
What you cannot conceive now
What you can’t believe now
I’ve assured you
Through the giving of my Son
For you, for you
Is there nothing good that I wouldn’t do
For you?

I am the God of the impossible
Just look at where you are tonight
I brought you near to myself
And I will always do,
I will always do
What’s right.