Several years ago, I heard a worship song with some incredible lyrics. Laura Hackett’s You Satisfy My Soul has bright and inspiring music is coupled with deep encouragement and powerful reminders, including this line:

Sometimes you’ve got to sing your way into the truth

When I first heard the song, I didn’t think much of that line. Other pieces of the caught more of my attention. But a month or so ago, I listened to the song again for the first time a year or two and that single line caused me to stop in my tracks. Sometimes we really do need to sing (or write, or dance) our way into the truth.

Over the course of the past year or so, I’ve been wrestling with the Lord about a couple of different promises I feel like He has given to me for future stages of life. This hasn’t been a major theme for the past twelve months, but it has been a part of my dialogue with the Lord every so often. Throughout the process, my heart has had moments of being overwhelmed with gratitude and excitement for what the Lord has in store. Then, there are moments where pain at the thought of those dreams not coming true spreads throughout my heart, leaving a dull ache that makes me wonder if I should just forget the dreams all together. The back and forth between the two extremes has left my heart weary. It has also made it easy for me to drift from truth.

Listening to Laura Hackett’s song, I was reminded of how integral it is for us to pursue truth. In some seasons, this pursuit may seem effortless, as if we are simply walking with the Lord in the cool of the evening. Other seasons hold the opportunity and blessing for us to fight to remain in truth (see Psalms 3, 63, and 86 for examples of this). This means that regardless of the season we are in, we must always remain cognizant of saying within His Word.

During this season and with respect to these specific dreams, staying within the truth looks like more of a fight for me. So I asked the Lord how I can actively take a focused stand to remain close to His Word and heart. Expecting that the answer would be singing (i.e. worship), I felt like the Lord highlighted a different avenue: writing. I sensed Him calling me to journal my way into the truth. Taking the notebook that a friend had recently given to me, I began writing about those dreams and the faithfulness of the Lord. As I recorded my prayers and dialogue with God, my heart was filled with faith and hope.

That first journal entry felt clumsy and difficult, if I’m being honest, but my heart felt stronger by the time I put the cap back on my pen. That strength and encouragement has continued to grow as I have continued to write. When doubt or discouragement would try to take root in my heart, I return to that journal and seek the Lord. He has been so kind in meeting and encouraging my heart, bringing renewed assurance that He is able and faithful. My heart is noticeably healthier with respect to those promises, and I suspect that it will only grow in strength as I continue to use that journal to document this part of the journey and write my way back to the truth of His sovereignty.

To be clear, though, it’s not the journaling (or the singing) that is important. Instead, it’s encountering His heart that is pivotal. Time and time again, the Lord comes in His infinite goodness and restores my heart. He dusts off the dreams, and places courage in my heart. As a Good Shepherd and Perfect Father, He carefully and tenderly leads me on. Because of this, the beauty of that restoration isn’t so much in rebuilding my confidence in His faithfulness so much as it is in deepening my intimacy and knowledge of His heart. At the end of the day, I want only to be with Him where He is. Promises and their fulfillment can come, but His Love remains. And that, Dear Saints, is the most phenomenal Truth of them all.