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We want to hear how you or a loved one has been impacted by Natalie's new single, "Our Hope Endures"
"This very honest lyric was written for a woman who was struggling greatly with her battle of cancer. Life so often doesn't make sense and I can so relate with the Psalmist when he wonders why the wicked prosper and the righteous suffer. But our hope endures the worst of conditions. We serve an everlasting, all-knowing, all-sufficient God, our El-Shaddai, our Emmanuel, our only Hope in this life."
Natalie Grant
In March of 2008, an 18 year old girl from the church I attended was in a tragic car wreck. She was a beautiful, talented young woman that you couldn’t help but like. Since we are from a small area, it broke the heart of the entire community. I had already heard Natalie’s song, Our Hope Endures, but it took on a different meaning after the accident. Because she was so young, it was hard to understand why this tragic event occured. Her mother lost not only a daughter, but her best friend. Natalie’s lyrics lifted my spirit and helped my heart heal. In spite of the darkness around us, God is always with us and hope does indeed endure.
We learned a few months ago that my husband, Craig, has Stage IV colon cancer that has traveled to his liver and lungs. There are so many tumors in his liver that surgical removal is not an option, and the tumors are growing quite rapidly. The oncologist says that chemotherapy may slow the growth of the tumors, but it will not cure him. The doctor has painted a very bleak picture. She says Craig will probably be dead in three years, more likely within the year.
Craig is 55 years old. We have four children. Our two youngest are just 12 and 13 years old.
I cannot tell you how many times I have heard “Our Hope Endures” on the radio since we learned of Craig’s diagnosis. God has used it repeatedly to show me that our only hope is in God Himself. Our hope is not in God’s power to heal, although that of course is our prayer (and the prayer of countless other people around the world). Our hope is in GOD HIMSELF. The song has reassured me that, whatever happens, God is and will be all-sufficient and ever-present as we follow this path to wherever it leads.
Thank you for writing honestly about the challenges we face in this fallen world, and the sufficiency of God Himself as we endure them.