Read It:
Matt Redmon -”10,000 Reasons” – Psalm 103:1-2
Live It:
As is true with each of the classic songs we have looked at this week, these songs begin to take on a life of their own. Instead of looking at the story behind this song, we are going to look at how this song has impacted just a few individuals.
Reuban Hill was a student when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. There was a groundbreaking surgery that could help him, but he had to be awake during part of the procedure so they could check that his speech was not affected. As the last pieces of the tumor were removed, Reuban sang the lines, “The sun comes up. It’s a new day dawning. It’s time to sing your song again. Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me, let me be singing when the evening comes.”
While in Bali, Andrew and Myu were arrested for drug smuggling. During their 10 years in prison, they accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior and radically changed their lives. Unfortunately, their crimes came with a heavy cost: the death penalty. They had to face a firing squad. As Andrew and Myu stood blindfolded against a wall, they began to sing, “And on that day when my strength is failing, the end draws near and my time has come. Still, my soul will sing Your praise unending, ten thousand years and then forevermore.”
And a story that is much more personal. Almost a dozen years ago, Pastor Jenni and I picked up our two boys and made our way out West. We found our home in the beautiful Valley of the Sun. Many individuals helped us make that transition, but one person who touched my heart was Wayne Bice. Wayne was so loving, so compassionate, and so supportive, but what I didn’t know was that Wayne had been battling cancer for years, and his fight was coming to an end. As hospice was called to help him be more comfortable, I would spend hours at his home, reading the Word of God, praying with him, and singing “10,000 Reasons”– his favorite song.
Every time I sing “10,000 Reasons,” I think about Wayne. I think about the life he lived. I think about the smile that was on his face while he was suffering from cancer. And I think about being with him on his dying day, a living room filled with peace, a living room filled with the Holy Spirit.
Pastor Darren