TRACK 3 DEVOTIONAL
Where the Angels Cry
About the Song
In our new album, “Learning to Fight,” there are songs that deal with general concepts that all of us can identify with like Lambs and wolves, Chaos Theory, 2 Fisted Gospel, and so on. “Where the Angels Cry” deals with a more specific type of situation. It speaks about a girl’s emotional struggles, resulting from her father’s abuse. However, I believe the song has a message that everyone, not just those dealing with this form of abuse, can relate to.
Most of this song was written long before there was a Cross Covenant. I knew a girl who was beautiful, smart, and outgoing. On the surface she seemed to be a very happy person. You would never assume that anything in her world was badly wrong. That’s why I was completely caught off guard when she told me about being sexually abused by her father.
Months before I was told this, we’d go out to eat or to a movie, and then I’d take her back home without knowing what I was taking her back home to. I was the first person she ever told. I’ll never forget the night she told me or the day, months later, when we watched from afar as her father was lowered into the back of a police car. I started writing “Where the Angel’s Cry” during this time. Someone I cared about was hurting, and music was one of the ways I processed my feelings about it. Years later when I was ready, I added to and revised the song for the band.
Statistics show that 1 out of 4 girls and 1 out of 6 boys will be sexually abused by the age of 18. That doesn’t even account for all the other forms of abuse that people suffer. The song was meant to reach out to those who identify with abuse. However, I also hope to raise awareness. Part of learning to fight, is knowing what to fight and who to fight for.
Comfort from Suffering
“He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”
2 Corinthians 1:4
If we cry out to God, he can bring comfort for our afflictions. This verse from 2 Corinthians points out that, “He comforts us in ALL our affliction.” God cares about ALL of what we’re going through. Regardless of what the source of our affliction is, he’s there to provide comfort. Abuse can lead to a lot of pain and feelings of guilt, and those suffering from these effects can find comfort in the arms of Christ.
Of course God cares for us and provides us with comfort, but the verse doesn’t end there, “so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction.” It’s a beautiful and perfect cycle. God provides us with comfort and we spread that comfort to anyone around in need of it, “through the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”
I love how this verse begins and ends with Him. Notice, “He comforts us in our affliction, so that we MAY BE ABLE to comfort.” We’re no help to anyone else unless we let Him work through us. The truth is that they don’t need us, they need him. In “Where the Angel’s Cry” there’s a line that says, “We may not know what she’s going through, but we know WHO to lead her to.” Whenever you can’t find the answer, the answer is always Jesus.
We were never meant to face our afflictions alone. Galatians 6:2 says, ‘Carry one another’s burdens: in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Jesus wanted us to help each other, and by letting him live through us we can accomplish that. The burden of abuse is not something someone can handle alone.
Maybe you are someone dealing with an abusive situation or struggling to cope with an abusive past. In John 10:10 Jesus said, “A thief comes to steal, kill and destroy, but I have come so that you can have life and have it in abundance.” Your innocence may have been stolen, the thief may have attempted to destroy your life, but Christ came to bring you a fulfilling and abundant life. Jesus hurts for you, and wants to bring you healing.
Jesus is Here
“For I am persuaded that not even death or life angels or rulers, things present or things to come, hostile powers, height or depth, or any other created thing will have the power to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!”
Romans 8:38-39
There is no power great enough to separate us from the love of God. Sin and death may have threatened to do so. However, Christ died a sacrificial death, to atone for our sin, and rose from the grave, conquering death, forever ending the separation between us and God’s love. The love that is in Jesus Christ our Lord is here.
For some reason, we treat Jesus as if he is off in the heavens somewhere, and completely unreachable. We view him as being off in the distance, and his love is a wonderful, but intangible, thought. This view of Christ is nothing short of a diabolical deception brought about by the prince of lies. Jesus is right here! His love is staring us right in the eyes! Neither a troubled past or the devil himself can separate us from the love of God that is in Jesus Christ.
His love is right in front of us reaching out with nail scared hands. All we have to do is accept his love, let him bring comfort and healing to our afflictions, and spread that love and comfort to a world in desperate need of Salvation. The abuse you may have suffered doesn’t have to define you. You don’t have to remain a victim, or a prisoner to affliction, because Jesus gave us the right to be children of God. ~ John 1:12
~Casey~
Food for thought:
1) What difficult situation has God brought you through that could be meaningful for someone else?
2) Why do we choose to face our struggles alone?
Further Reading
http://www.d2l.org/site/c.4dICIJOkGcISE/b.6143427/k.38C5/Child_Sexual_Abuse_Statistics.htm
http://www.findchristiancounselor.com/?gclid=CI-f4rL9yLgCFcdr7AodzC8Akw
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