In the spirit of the season, I was looking around for Christmas songs to keep my mood perky at the office. It is my last month here, after all. Somehow I stumbled across this vocal group called the Gaither Vocal Band. Now, I’m not exactly a fan of Southern Gospel or how country-ish it sounds, but I decided to give their Christmas album and their latest release, Lovin’ Life a listen.

I stumbled across this song, When I Cry, which really wasn’t the mood-lifter I was looking for. Instead, it’s a ballad that reminds us that God is there through our suffering. I remember a mentor exclaiming loudly at people calling tragedies like the Bukit Antarabangsa collapse “God’s will”. He said vehemently, and I agree, that “God had nothing to do with it!”

Pain and suffering are inescapable on this earth, but to say that God wills needless tragedies on us is a lie. I suppose this song says everything I think about how God really reacts in the midst of tragedy:

Makin' a list of all of the good things You've done for me
Lord, I've never been one to complain
But right now I'm lost and I can't find my way
My world's come apart and it's breakin' my heart
But it helps to know Your heart is breakin' too
When I cry, You cry
When I hurt, You hurt
When I've lost someone
It takes a piece of You, too
And when I fall on my face
You fill me with grace
'Cause nothin' breaks Your heart
Or tears You apart
Like when I cry
Alone in the dark, face in my hands, crying out to You
Lord, there's never been a time in my life
There's so much at stake, there's so much to lose
But I trust it to You
You'll bring me through
And it helps me to know that I'm not alone
When I cry, You cry
When I hurt, You hurt
When I've lost someone
It takes a piece of You, too
And when I fall on my face
You fill me with grace
'Cause nothin' breaks Your heart
Or tears You apart
Like when I cry
You're the one who calmed the raging sea
You're the one who made the blind to see
You looked through all of heaven and eternity
And through it all you saw me...
When I cry, You cry
When I hurt, You hurt
And when I've lost someone it takes a piece of You, too
When I fall on my face, You fill me with grace
Nothing breaks your heart, or tears you apart
Like when I cry