River of Healing
Have you ever been surprised by peace?
Peace is something we all desire yet it can often seem evasive and illusive. You can’t force peace. You can’t conjure it up. It doesn’t come with emotional hype and acrobatics. Peace is something we surrender ourselves into. It comes from trusting, from resting, from letting go of control.
Often I see peace as a river that’s constantly flowing near us. We can’t contain the river. We didn’t create the river. The river was here long before we ever were.
All we need to do is take the courageous move to step into the river, to wade into its soothing waters.
The river is God.
The peace He offers is pure and sweet. A constant flow of goodness.
As you enter the river its healing waters will soothe your soul. Lay on your back and float there a while. Enjoy the peace that only comes from being near to God.
As you soak there think of the blessings you’ve been given, how you’ve been provided for time and again. You too might begin to feel surprised by peace.
God is the same yesterday, today and forever. He’s been faithful to bring you this far, He will be faithful in what you are facing today and anything that might come your way tomorrow.
Let the river refresh you now. The water is sweet, filled with love that runs deep and wide.
Enjoy this ukulele version of my song River of Healing. May it help draw you in to the river where peace is abundant.
Listen to the studio version of River of Healing everywhere you stream music.
Spotify / Apple / Amazon, etc.
God’s faithfulness is not contingent on the outcomes.
Mull that one over in your mind a bit. I’ve been soaking in this fresh understanding of God since my husband’s heart surgery. This has surprised me with peace again and again.
God is faithful yes, but we often use this phrase after things go how WE want them to go. And then in response to getting our way we say, God was faithful. And this is true, He indeed was and is. But there’s a deeper truth here.
As I’ve held my husband’s hand in the ICU through moments of not knowing if the outcome would be what I wanted and was praying for, I began to realize that God’s faithfulness does not hinge on the outcome.
What if my husband didn’t make it through the surgery? What if I became a young widow again for the 2nd time? Would that mean that God wasn’t faithful? Would that mean He had failed me?
No!!!!
I’ve been staring this reality in the face these past weeks. Sorting through these questions and emotions as I’ve sat in the tension of the unknown.
God’s faithfulness is not contingent on favorable outcomes. God’s faithfulness is a promise that He will be near and provide and take care of us NO MATTER WHAT THE OUTCOME IS.
That is where faith and trust reside. That is the safe harbor in the midst of the storm.
God is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is faithful and good through it all.
It’s not a pie-in-the-sky mushy feeling kind of wishful thinking. It’s a bedrock truth anchored in reality.
May this reality comfort you whenever the clouds of anxiety and fear begin to roll over you.
You are in good hands. God will remain faithful to you through it all. No matter the outcome. It’s the essence of who He is.
He has promised to never leave you or forsake you.
It’s not a promise that says everything will be good. It’s not a promise for the outcomes we hope for every time. But rather it’s a promise of provision no matter what the outcome is. It’s a promise that love will cover you through it all.
No matter what.
And to me, that’s the best reality.
I can rest here.
I can rest from feeling like I have to control all the outcomes and simply trust that all will be well.
River of Healing
When your words are gone
There’s nothing left to be said
The cadence of waves wash
Wash over, over you
The surging tide sweeps the night away
As goodness and mercy
Wash over, over you
Surprised by peace
Surprised by peace
This river’s unknown
Its power untamed
Calling, calling
You deeper, deeper still
Surprised by peace
Surprised by peace
Clouds begin to fade
That shroud this place
Clouds fade away
Reveal new grace
Surprised by peace
Surprised by peace
You’re standing at the edge
Your toes in the stream
Slowly, slowly you walk deeper, deeper still
The water moves through your hair
Refreshes you through
As goodness and mercy wash over, over you
It washed the layers of mire away
Away, away…
Surprised by peace
Surprised by peace
(C) Kellie Haddock 2021 / ASCAP 886039719
Play River of Healing or use it at your church. Get the chord chart here:
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