4th century BC
Plato
- Idealism — forms over particulars
- The Republic ethic: “God is not the author of evil”
Notes
The three songs before this one were my wounds - the zealot I was, the noise that cut me, the door that shut at twenty-six. This song does something different. It stops being about me and turns to face anyone listening who has been hurt by someone they loved. It is a bedside song.
It does not reach for a clever answer, because there is not one. It reaches for two people instead. Joseph, betrayed by his kin, who found a way to forgive. Paul, with his chains and strife, who found joy in preaching Christ from a prison. The song hands you those two not as heroes to admire but as proof - the wound is survivable, and it has been survived, by people the Bible does not hesitate to name.
And it is honest about the hardest part. Though we may not see the good in Your plan, still we trust. It does not promise you will understand the wrong done to you. It does not promise the meaning will arrive on a schedule you like. It promises a hand - Your sovereign hand - holding what you cannot see. When the people you love have done you wrong, that is sometimes all there is to stand on. The song's quiet claim is that it is enough.
Lyrics
[Verse 1]
When the wounds run deep and the pain is strong,
And the ones we love have done us wrong,
We may feel like victims, lost and alone,
Wondering why we've been hurt to the bone.
[Verse 2]
But in the scriptures we can find,
Words of comfort for our troubled mind,
For even Joseph, betrayed by his kin,
Found a way to forgive and let love in.
[Chorus]
You heal every heart, You mend every soul,
In the valley of tears, Lord, You make us whole.
When we cannot see the good in Your plan,
Still we trust in Your love, in Your sovereign hand.
[Verse 3]
And Paul too, with his chains and strife,
Found joy in the preaching of Christ's life,
Counting all things loss for the sake
Of knowing Jesus, his soul's true stake.
[Verse 4]
So when we're hurt by those we hold dear,
Let us remember that God is near,
And though we may not see the good,
We can trust in Him, as we know we should.
[Verse 5]
For He is sovereign, and in control,
And He will heal us and make us whole,
And though we may not understand,
We can rest in His loving hand.
[Verse 6]
So let us meditate on His word,
And let our hearts be truly stirred,
To forgive and love, and let go of hate,
Knowing that in His plan, all is great.
[Bridge / Breakdown]
You’re the strength in our sorrow,
The hope for tomorrow,
The peace that holds us when we can’t stand.
You restore every broken place,
Cover us in endless grace -
We rest, we rest in Your hand.
[Final Chorus]
You heal every heart, You mend every soul,
In the valley of tears, Lord, You make us whole.
When the night won’t break and we can’t understand,
Still we cling to Your love, to Your sovereign hand.
Commentary