Never Once

The first time I heard this song was about a month after our world was flipped upside down by our four-year-old’s diagnosis of type 1 diabetes.

Things had started to settle down a little.  We were still doing all the finger pokes, but she wasn’t kicking and screaming through them anymore.  We were still administering insulin through injections at least four times every day, but we didn’t need an extra adult to hold her down anymore.  We were still measuring, weighing, counting every gram of carbohydrates she consumed, but we were getting faster at it.  It felt like we had overcome the hardest part.  It was still hard, still is today, but we were at a point where we could remember how much harder it used to be, just a few weeks earlier.  We could see how quickly our new normal was settling in and around us.

This song describes exactly how I felt.  Exactly.  And if you’ve ever overcome the odds, fought the fight, conquered the fear, then I think you’ll love it as much as I do.  Take a listen:

I just have to repeat some (ok, most) of the lyrics because they just so perfectly describe where we are today:

Standing on this mountain top
Looking just how far we’ve come
Knowing that for every step 
You were with us
Kneeling on this battleground
Seeing just how much You’ve done
Knowing every victory
Was Your power in us
Scars and struggles on the way
But with joy our hearts can say
Yes, our hearts can say
Never once did we ever walk alone
Never once did You leave us on our own
You are faithful, God, You are faithful

It’s so true!  Every step, He is with us.  Every victory…every anxiety-free injection, every night of safe and steady blood glucose numbers…EVERY victory is His power in us.  Struggles along the way?  Too many to list.  But with JOY, my heart can say that He never left us.  He was there when I heard the doctor say, “Mackenna has type 1 diabetes.”  He was there that first night in the hospital, holding me as I cried, letting me know I was not alone.  He is there, every time my alarm wakes me up at 1 am, 2 am, 3 am… Never once did He leave us alone.  Never once will He leave us alone.  He is faithful.  So so faithful.

One other little gem that I love comes toward the end of the song.  Matt sings:

Every step we are breathing in Your grace
Evermore we’ll be breathing out Your praise

I love a good strategy.  And this one is perfect.  Breathe in His grace…then breathe out His praise.

Tough morning with the kiddos?  Breathe deep His grace…and when there’s a moment of calm in your chaotic morning, breathe out the praise He deserves.

Strained relationship?  Breathe deep His grace…and when there’s a surprisingly pleasant interaction, breathe out His praise.

“For the Lord your God is with you.  He is mighty to save.”  (Zephaniah 3:17)

I hope you’re enjoying song week on the blog!  If you’re just stopping by for the first time this week, make sure you hop over to see the other songs I’ve shared here and here.