"I'm Tired. I'm Worn."

This weekend's message at Saddleback is extremely practical and challenging AND inspiring as Rick talks about Psalm 23 as an antidote to stress. The Psalmist speaks of rest for our weary souls. In the middle of the service, lovely Keeley Reed sings "Worn" by Tenth Avenue North. I have only watched the video on YouTube up until now, so have not had the opportunity to experience it the way a live audience does. Wow - the pain in the air of the Worship Center was palpable and thick as hundreds heard their lives described by the lyrics of the song.

"I'm tired. I'm worn. My heart is heavy from the work it takes to keep on breathing. I've made mistakes, I've let my hope fail. My soul feels crushed by the weight of this world. And I know that you can give me rest, so I cry out with all that I have left. Let me see redemption win. Let me know the struggle ends; that you can mend a heart that's frail and torn. I want to know a song can rise from ashes of a broken life, and all that's dead inside can be reborn, cause I'm worn."

So real and raw, revealing the ache many of us feel at various moments. The good news is redemption DOES win, God gives us soul-rest, the struggle WILL end, and songs DO rise from the ashes of our brokenness... and ALL that is dead inside of us can be reborn. This is the HOPE we find in our God, in His Son and Savior, Jesus Christ, and in the ways His Spirit revives us when we're WORN... Watch. Cry. Lament. Let yourself feel. Run into God's embrace. Find rest, weary ones. Then get up tomorrow and live another day, confident He is with you every step on the way.