He is With Us...One Year Later

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” - Joshua 1:9

So this blog is a little different.  Recently a new group called The Love & the Outcome came out with a song called “He is With Us.”  I absolutely love this song!  I’m pretty sure it will be one of my song anthems :)  Anyway…I have put the lyrics as part of this blog and have put some personal reflections about this day one year ago in between.  At the end of the blog will be a link to the YouTube video of the song.  Please listen to it and pray that these words will touch the hearts of the Lynam and Winstead families today.  Be blessed. 

 

Remember when your hope is lost and faith is shaken
Remember when you wonder if you're gonna make it
There's a hand stretched out through your deepest doubt
We can't pretend to see the ending or what's coming up ahead
To know the story of tomorrow
But we can stay close to the One who knows

One year ago.  I remember.  Two friends of mine lost their sons on this day one year ago.  Two boys full of life, love, and spunk.  Two boys who were pretty close buds.  Two friends who were celebrating a birthday and a fun holiday.  Lives cut short in the blink of an eye.  I’ll never forget the phone call I got from another mutual friend who told me what all had happened – I didn’t believe it, in fact, I had her repeat it twice just in case I wasn’t hearing it right.  It was a surreal phone call, one I hope I never hear again.  That pales in comparison, however, to the reality of what my friends went through one year ago day.  Over the that next week and throughout this past year, I have watched as my friends and their families grieved the loss of these boys.  One year ago it was hard.  One year ago we did wonder if we would make it. 

We can trust our God
He knows what He's doing
Though it might hurt now
We won't be ruined
It might seem there's an ocean in between
But He's holding on to you and me
And He's never gonna leave, no
He is with us, He is with us
Always, always
He is with us, He is with us
Always

I have never seen people live out the chorus of this song than the families of these boys.  To have your boys taken from you in such a tragic way and to come out from it stronger in your faith and love – that takes courage and so much trust in God.  It has been so inspiring over the past year to see these families grow in their faith in Jesus.  They are true testaments to placing your trust fully and solely in God and letting Him guide your life.  Yes, there have been days that were harder than others, but the families made it through them.  I’ll never forget hearing Joshua 1:9 prayed over these families before the boys’ funeral began.  It says, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”  These families have taken this verse to heart.  They have exuded strength and courageousness this past year, even in the midst of so much loss and God has been/continues to be with them every single step of the way.

We believe there is purpose, there is meaning in everything
We surrender to His leading
He wants nothing more than to have us close

 I miss Nate and Noah.  When I’m teaching missions in AWANA, I half expect them to be sitting in the back of the room, one of them listening intently and the other one cutting up :)  Noah’s mom and I have a desk next to each other at work and so I would often see him there.  In fact the last time I saw him was at work making a paper clip chain (of which I now keep on the wall next to my desk).  I have such sweet memories of the boys and I’m so thankful for that.  One of the verses of this song says “We believe there is purpose, there is meaning in everything.”  How in the world can there be purpose and meaning in the loss of these boys?  I can’t answer that – only God can, but I’ve seen kids come to know Jesus through this situation.  I’ve seen people recommit their lives to Him because of this.  Many around the world watched their funeral and heard the Truth.  I’ve also seen individuals be inspired to “Live Like That” and they have.  Nate and Noah have inspired so many…they have truly left a legacy that will never be forgotten!

Our faith is sealed
Our hope is real
Come what may
We're not afraid
Our faith is sealed
Our hope is real
Come what may
We're not afraid
We're not afraid

I think for many of us, our faith and hope has grown as a result of what happened.  What Satan intended for hurt and anger, God intended for us to grow in our hope and trust in Him.  I wish beyond wish that it didn’t have to be through this situation, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned through this it’s that God is God and I am not.  I pray for many of you that your faith is sealed.  That’s definitely what Nate & Noah would have wanted for you…to know that Jesus loves you, died for you, and wants you to have His gift of everlasting life.  Following Jesus is really as easy as “ABC.”  A- Admit to God that you are a sinner.  B- Believe that Jesus is your Savior and that He died for your sins.  C- Confess to others that Jesus is the Lord of your life.  Live Like That!  Give Jesus all your life!  Surrender it all to HIM!  Even though they were little boys, Nate and Noah made this extremely important decision to believe in and accept Christ and because of that, we as believers will get to rejoice with them and Jesus in heaven when God calls us there.

We can trust our God
Always, always
We can trust our God
Always, always

I am so proud of you Lynam and Winstead families.  Your lives, through this loss, have shown such strength and trust in God.  I pray these lyrics will be the lyrics of your entire lives and I know they are – “We can trust our God – Always.”  I’m so blessed to have known your boys.  I’m so thankful to know you guys.  Each day you are covered in prayer by so many.  Each day the boys are always remembered.  Each day, because of them, people are inspired to live their lives to the fullest, trust God, and never give up.

We can trust our God
He knows what He's doing
Though it might hurt now
We won't be ruined
It might seem there's an ocean in between
But He's holding on to you and me
And He's never gonna leave, no
He is with us, He is with us
Always, always
He is with us, He is with us
Always, always
He is with us, He is with us
Always, always
He is with us, He is with us
Always
Our God is with us

God was with us one year ago today, He is with us today, and He will be with us each day from here on out.  We can trust Him, ALWAYS.  Listen to this song below and pray these words for the families today.  Remembering, Praying, and Trusting…