Though You Slay Me

Ten years ago this week, I lost one of the most significant individuals in my life. My mom. Even though a decade has passed, the weeks leading up to her home going is still etched upon my memory -- a season filled with soul-tearing grief and gospel-saturated joy. To watch someone you love stripped of external dignity as the consequence of Adam’s original sin becomes painfully visible -- yet hear a final appeal from dehydrated lips, “You have to let me go to be with my Savior,” is  bittersweet. Death -- yet Christ. A grave-sealed goodbye -- to be eclipsed one day by a resurrection reunion. The gospel steadies us in our anguish in such times, empowering the dying Christian and their loved ones to confess together...

Nothing in my hand I bring

Simply to the cross I cling

Naked come to Thee for dress

Helpless look to Thee for grace

Foul I to the fountain fly

Wash me Savior or I die

While I draw this fleeting breath

When mine eyes shall close in death

When I soar to worlds unknown

See Thee on Thy judgment throne

Rock of Ages cleft for me

Let me hide myself in Thee

Suffering is one of life’s greater hardships -- yet it is also one of God’s greater instruments to make us like His Son. What enables a Christian in the valley of suffering to survive is faith -- not mysticism -- but faith that’s grounded in the unchangeable truths of Scripture. There we read of someone who suffered immensely -- Job. And his story teaches us what it means to suffer difficult providences, yet cling to what we know about our God. After losing all his assets, all his children, and then his health -- he makes this remarkable statement…

Though He slay me, I will hope in Him.

Though a tsunami of tragedy had just carried away his comfort, joy, and security -- there was still standing the immoveable foundation of His trust in God. As one commentator says about the verse above, “Job reasoned that though God might consider him presumptuous [for questioning His ways] and slay him, Job would wait in hope, trusting him to do otherwise”(Alden, R. L. (1993). Job (Vol. 11, p. 160).

Job ultimately reminds us of the One Who suffered unfathomably. Knowing what was before Him -- drinking the cup of our eternal wrath in order to purchase our eternal liberation -- He still prayed in faith, “Father, not My will, but Your will be done.” Praise the Lord He did. Praise the Lord for a Savior Who knows acutely our dark nights of suffering.

One of my congregants introduced me to the following song. Music has a profound way of sowing truth into our soul. May its words strengthen your faith today in God's faithfulness.

Though You Slay Me

I come God I come

Return to the Lord

The one who's broken

The one who's torn me apart

You struck down to bind me up

You say You do it all in love

That I might know You in Your suffering

(Chorus)

Though You slay me

Yet I will praise You

Though You take from me

I will bless Your name

Though You ruin me

Still I will worship

Sing a song to the one who's all I need

My heart and flesh may fail

The earth below give way

With my eyes with my eyes I'll see the Lord

Lifted high upon that day

Behold the Lamb that was slain

And I'll know every tear was worth it all

(Bridge)

Though tonight I'm crying out

Let this cup pass from me now

You're still more than I need

You're enough for me

You're enough for me

Beth Barnard | Brian Woods | Josh Moore | Lauren Chandler | Shane Barnard © 2013 River Oaks Music Company (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing) Waiting Room Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing) Fair Trade Global Songs (Admin. by Music Services, Inc.)