When The Evening Comes

Today, Matt Redman releases his new book, “10,000 Reasons: Stories of Faith, Hope, and Thankfulness Inspired By The Worship Anthem”.

When David C. Cook sent me a copy of the book a few weeks ago, I was delighted to read this book not only because Chase’s story is featured (for real!!), but also because we have met and come to love Matt and his heart for worship and I couldn’t wait to dive into that same joy on a page. So, I mentally prepared myself to feel blessed and inspired by the stories of this light, 164-page read.

What I wasn’t prepared for was the complete challenge and theological depth that pervaded every single page. I expected this to be a learning experience through others stories – and it is that. But it is also full of gentle soul-preaching: the act of spinning these stories out into a greater understanding of the heart of God found in the Word. Each story thread from Matt’s own life and the lives of others is tied back into the bond of who we are in Christ and who Christ is to us — making these pages anything but “light reading”, and oh, so rich!

You guys, for lack of a better metaphor in this moment (I can’t think of brilliant things when I’m super excited – which I am – about this book!), this work is like a protein shake for your soul. It will replenish you in ways you didn’t even know you were hungry.

Too often, when I hear words like what Matt and Jonas wrote into the “10,000 Reasons” song, there’s a part of me that wants to say: “Well, that’s all very well and good to want to be singing when the evening comes..but I wonder how you’d feel if your life were ever really difficult. What would you write then?”

Gauntlet = thrown. Christ = proved again and again.

For, as this book will show you both in the life of Matt and in others around him, God is found to be enough and singing is possible in the evening not because hardship has never been experienced but rather because they’re in the middle of it!  The worship is often sweeter in the suffering because our heart cry is not just wished upon the “some day” of Revelations 21, but is proved again and again in the now. He is our God and He is with us always.

I would highly encourage you to grab a copy of this book and make it a priority even in these last of the summer days. You will be refreshed and encouraged to press on –

Moment by moment.

Our scars are signs of God’s grace in our lives – signs that we’ve been through something and that we have made it to the other side. They remind us that we are not where we once were and that God has brought about a victory in our lives. Our wounds may have been dark, but the promise of God’s love has been tested and proved in our lives. When we look back, yes we see pain, but more than anything we see provision and protection, and the ways God has made us ‘fruitful in the land of our suffering’. -Redman, page 128-129

[You guys, I need you to know that Matt’s publisher sent me a copy of the book as a gift because Chase appears in one of the chapters. There was no official expectation or request for a review. This is just me being me. 🙂 ]