Our Needs and God's Mercy

John Flavel (1627-1691), an English Presbyterian clergyman said "When our needs are permitted to grow to an extremity, and all visible hopes fail, then to have relief given wonderfully enhances the price of such a mercy" (Isaiah 41:17-18)

Isaiah 41:17-20 (ESV)

¹⁷When the poor and needy seek water,
and there is none,
and their tongue is parched with thirst,
I the LORD will answer them;
I the God of Israel will not forsake them.
¹⁸ I will open rivers on the bare heights,
and fountains in the midst of the valleys.
I will make the wilderness a pool of water,
and the dry land springs of water.
¹⁹ I will put in the wilderness the cedar,
the acacia, the myrtle, and the olive.
I will set in the desert the cypress,
the plane and the pine together,
²⁰that they may see and know,
may consider and understand together,
that the hand of the LORD has done this,
the Holy One of Israel has created it.

I am reminded of a song Everett Geis Jr., our former music minister used to sing periodically while he led music at Calvary Baptist Church. He shared how the words ministered to him in a mighty way, due to his own personal testimony, and as we grow older and go through more in this life, I think we can all be ministered to by the lyrics in the same way. My wife and I often talk about how Everett blessed us many times with this song (as well as many other specials he would sing right before the sermon), and we wish we could hear him sing again sometime. No one could sing (and put their heart into it) like Everett. He's gone on to become a Preacher of the Word since then.

The chorus was as follows:

There's light at the end of the darkness,

So look up when you are down and try to believe.

Sometimes we have to be knocked down to make us look upward.

I was looking up through the bottom when it finally shined on me.

The song in its entirety is as follows:

VERSE 1

There's a light at the end of the darkness,

And it shines for all the world to see.

It will shine on your life if you will let it.

I was blind when it finally shined on me

VERSE 2

There is hope in that land for the hopeless,

And there's soothing balm for pain and misery.

It's as near as your faith, but sometimes seems fleeting.

I was blind when it finally shined on me.

CHORUS

There's light at the end of the darkness,

So look up when you are down and try to believe.

Sometimes we have to be knocked down to make us look upward.

I was looking up through the bottom when it finally shined on me.

REPEAT CHORUS

I was looking up through the bottom when it finally shined on me.