Look for the Life Rafts God Is Sending

The Story Behind My New Song, “Trust the King, the Great I AM”

Many times, the songs I write are inspired by friends or family members who are going through difficult challenges. I have endured hopeless seasons of my own, seen God turn them around, and watched Him work all things together for my good. I can, with confidence, say that God is on our side. He does have our backs. And even the most painful experiences work together for our good when we look to Him and put our trust in Him.

The challenge is that when troubles mount, we become conditioned to expect them. Because we expect them, we find them. It becomes a terrible spiral of confirmation bias. We begin to expect things to keep going wrong, so we miss the opportunities and life rafts along the way. We don’t see what we don’t expect to see.

Many years ago, I had resigned myself to a life of tragedy. I assumed my best days were behind me. Then, out of the blue, a turning point came. A few weeks after my mother passed away, I was coming out of a grocery store, not thinking a thing about my troubles, when I heard this sentence clearly in my mind:

“Your life is about to get amazing with this new, powerful angel on your side.”

This sentence stopped me in my tracks. If my mother was a powerful angel now, then my life would get amazing. My mother was a remarkably intuitive woman who knew better than anyone how to be there for me and serve me. I knew her love for me was so profound and true that she would do all in her power to help me if she had the ability to do so. And I had just been told she now had the power of an angel!

This knowledge shifted my perspective. I began to look for amazing things to happen. Instead of looking for more problems to arise, I looked for solutions, opportunities, and possibilities. That shift in focus made me receptive to the life rafts that were being sent my way. Knowing my mother was an angel on my side made me expect miracles. Doubt fled, and faith replaced it in an instant.

My life did become amazing. It still is amazing. This miraculous season of my life, which emerged from my greatest heartaches, taught me to look for the Lord and praise Him in the middle of the mess.

Along the way, I have come to trust the Lord and see His hand in the ordinary circumstances of life—the good ones and the difficult ones. We may feel lost, alone, or broken. We may be grieving or confused, but God knows the way. Jesus Christ is the Way. He is the Truth even when the truth is eluding us.

As I look back on my own difficult times, I see Him clearly in it all, and I wouldn’t change anything because the road that once looked so broken and lonely led me to my greatest blessings.

As I watch loved ones go through challenges, it’s often harder than going through my own problems. As a “fixer” by nature, I want to swoop in and save the day or correct whatever is amiss. But many problems are not mine to fix and aren’t within my power to fix.

Even when we think we could fix them, I’m learning that God doesn’t want us inserting ourselves between other people and their challenges—especially if they aren’t asking for it. And even when they are, it’s important to be mindful not to cripple another person’s growth by solving their problems for them. They need to learn to trust God, not us. Especially as children become adults, we don’t want to rob them of their life lessons or their potential connection with God by swooping in and fixing everything for them.

Discerning the line between being charitable and enabling requires prayer and inspiration.

As I was pondering this subject, I felt the Lord prompting me to write a song for a loved one. If I could give this person any advice, what would I tell them about God, about His love, and about the difficult road they’re traveling? As I prayed about this, these lyrics came to me. I had extemporaneously created the melody a few days before and felt it fit the lyrics beautifully.

My hope for this song is that those who are struggling and feeling lost or broken will remember to praise God for what is going right, look for His hand in their lives, and trust Him—even when they cannot yet see where the road is leading.

As I reflected on these truths, I realized they were exactly what I wanted to say to someone I love who is walking through a difficult season.

When Life Looks Impossible, Trust the King. The Great I AM

Thank the Lord for what’s going right
Praise His name both day and night
He is the Lord of Hosts
Who loves you the very most
Even on your darkest night
He is still the Light
Look for Him
He’s never out of sight

Trust the King
The Great I AM

I hope this song encourages you to lift your eyes a little higher today. No matter how uncertain your circumstances may seem, the Lord is still walking beside you. He has not lost sight of you, and His plans for your life are far better than anything you can yet imagine.