Do you praise God amid deep distress? When your circumstances don’t change, when the pain doesn’t let up, when you feel like you’re underwater and can’t catch your breath, can you muster a song of praise to God? Rend Collective challenges us to do that in their song “Hallelujah Anyway.”
A man in Scripture found himself in deep distress and tragic loss and gave a hallelujah anyway. Let’s spend some time exploring Job’s story this week.
In this episode, I discuss the following:
- Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture – this week’s Bible Interaction Tool Exercises include:
- Listen to an audio version of the text
- Read in context
- Read for a set period of time
- Read and keep on reading
- Remember that the people in the Bible were real
- Episode Guide Download
- Don’t get stuck in one way of interacting with God’s Word – Job 33:14
- Stay curious as you interact with God’s Word
- The story behind the song “Hallelujah Anyway” by Rend Collective – New Release Today Article
- Why this week’s song inspired me to read Job
- Job 1:21
- Job 2:10
- Job 13:15
- Some exercises to help you read this long story in context
- The power of biblical historical fiction to put flesh on the people described in Scripture
- “This book is all about calling into question the reader’s views of God and the world” – The Bible Project Podcast
- While Job wants to know why he’s being afflicted, God just gives him more of Himself – Job 38:1-7
- “Love Amid the Ashes: A Novel” by Mesu Andrews – Amazon Paid Link
- Job talking about what his life was like before his affliction – Job 29
- Words really do hurt – Job 19:2
- Job’s friends did not characterize God properly – Job 42:8
- Keeping your antenna up for “light” and “darkness” language as we talked about in Episode 467
- “I wrote a worship song which said ‘let the darkness fear.’ But now I’m embracing it” – Premier Christianity Article
Stay curious. Don’t stop learning. Don’t stop interacting with God’s Word. He wants to meet you there.
Enjoy the official lyric video of the song below.
More Than a Song Playlist
Additional Resources
- Lyrics to “Hallelujah Anyway” by Rend Collective – NewReleaseToday.com
- The story behind the song “Hallelujah Anyway” by Rend Collective – New Release Today Article
- “Love Amid the Ashes: A Novel” by Mesu Andrews – Amazon Paid Link
- The Bible Project Podcast
- “I wrote a worship song which said ‘let the darkness fear.’ But now I’m embracing it” – Premier Christianity Article
- My new favorite Bible Study Software – Logos Bible Software Affiliate Link
This Week’s Challenge
Read or listen to the Book of Job. Try setting a timer and reading for a set period of time rather than a number of chapters or verses. Remember that Job and his friends were real men with real-life experiences and emotions. Don’t forget that Job is part of wisdom literature, and much of it is poetic in writing style. Finally, remember that God rebukes the friends at the end of the story — that should change the way you read their discourses.
