You've received the gift, said hallelujah, and welcomed a Savior who's actually present.
And then, a few weeks later, the valley comes.
The Sunday You Can't Sing
It doesn't matter what it is — a loss, a diagnosis, a long season that won't end. What matters is that one Sunday you stand up for worship and you can't sing. The words are right there on the screen. You believe every one of them. Your faith just feels small, and your voice won't come.
The Performance Misconception
Here's the misconception that shows up in that moment: church is something you participate in by performing — singing, serving, showing up with your end held up. And when you can't hold up your end, the right thing to do is step back. Stay home for a while. Come back when you're better.
A lot of people disappear from church in exactly the season they need it most, because of this.
A Verse Written for You
"Praise the Lord Forever" is a big, joyful, congregational song. And then, right in the middle of it, it stops and speaks directly to the person who can't sing it:
"For the one who's brokenhearted and it's hard to sing this song, 'cause you've been walking through the valley and your faith is feeling small — I pray peace and love surround you from the God who understands, as the family all around you lifts your arms up when you can't."
The song doesn't ask that person to try harder. It doesn't ask them to leave until they're ready. It tells the people around them what to do.
Aaron and Hur
That picture comes from Exodus 17. Israel is in battle, and as long as Moses holds his hands up, Israel wins. But Moses' arms get tired — as arms do. Verse 12: "When Moses' hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up — one on one side, one on the other — so that his hands remained steady till sunset."
Moses didn't fail by getting tired. He was just a person. What kept the battle going was the people beside him.
That's what the church is for. Galatians 6:2: "Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ."
Let Them
If you're in a season where you can't sing, don't leave. Stand there. Let the person next to you sing a little louder. Let someone put a hand on your shoulder. The church isn't an audience you perform for.
It's the arms that hold yours up when they're too tired to lift.
This is Chapter Four of NOTHING WASTED. Catch up on the first three chapters, and don't miss tomorrow's finale.
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