I'll be by your side...

Life shouldn't be this hard. It just shouldn't be. It's not the way God wants it, and it's not the way he planned for it to be. Life isn't fair. Bad things happen to good people, and it's not right, but it's the world we live in. We can't justify it, we can't fix it. Only God can. But he doesn't always. And that's when it gets rough.

God doesn't promise us that he will make everything perfect, or that he will fix all our problems. He does, however, promise to love us with an insane love, and to be by our side every moment of every day. Every time we call on his name, he is already there. He doesn't even have to come running, he's already there! He knows our every thought. He knows when we feel alone, he knows when we're hurt, he knows when we just wish all the crap would go away. And he sooo desires that we would cry out to him when our heart is broken, because I am convinced that no amount of chocolate, peanut butter, or chick flicks can mend a broken heart. Only God can, and he so wants to do just that.

"Why are you striving these days
Why are you trying to earn grace
Why are you crying
Let me lift up your face
Just don't turn away

Why are you looking for love
Why are you still searching as if I'm not enough
To where will you go child
Tell me where will you run
To where will you run

And I'll be by your side
Wherever you fall
In the dead of night
Whenever you call
And please don't fight
These hands that are holding you
My hands are holding you

Look at these hands and my side
They swallowed the grave on that night
When I drank the world's sin
So I could carry you in
And give you life
I want to give you life

And I'll be by your side
Wherever you fall
In the dead of night
Whenever you call
And please don't fight
These hands that are holding you
My hands are holding you

Cause I, I love you
I want you to know
That I, I love you
I'll never let you go

And I'll be by your side
Wherever you fall
In the dead of night
Whenever you call
And please don't fight
These hands that are holding you
My hands are holding you"

That's by your side by tenth avenue north. What a beautiful love song from God to his Bride. And what a comfort to me. Even though life sucks, as this life on earth certainly does, God is always by our side, just waiting for us to cry out to him. He is there to protect, love and comfort us with his awesome power and grace. Remember, our God is an awesome God. He's all the "omnis", aka, he can take care of it all. But the one he cares most about is you. Just as the little kids sing, Jesus loves us, so incredibly much. He died for us! And how cliche does that sound to us?! But it really is incredible if you take the chance to think about it. He wants us to run after him and cry out to him, not only when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, but always. And he promises to take us along still waters when we do. He has his shepherd's staff in his hand, and who would dare to go up against God's hand, let alone his hand with a big stick in it?! But seriously, He will always protect us from everything the devil can possibly throw our way. If only we will call on his amazing and awesome name, he will answer, because he is right by our side. He alone can make everything all right when absolutely nothing in this life is how it should be. Remember, He will always listen, always protect, and always love. Always.

PSALM 121
I look up to the mountains;
does my strength come from mountains?
No, my strength comes from God,
who made heaven, and earth, and mountains.

He won't let you stumble,
your Guardian God won't fall asleep.
Not on your life! Israel's
Guardian will never doze or sleep.

God's your Guardian,
right at your side to protect you—
Shielding you from sunstroke,
sheltering you from moonstroke.

God guards you from every evil,
he guards your very life.
He guards you when you leave and when you return,
he guards you now, he guards you ALWAYS.