And so the now aging child of this crippled, unwed teenager still wonders sometimes what the read deal was.  I'll never know, until I get to glory.  So I've rested my case.  To all my still unanswered questions, I just apply the Word of God:  "The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever" (Deuteronomy 29:29).

But one thing from my childhood that is not an unanswered secret is the discovery I made in that nasty closet of the worth of praise and worship.  I didn't fully realize its true value for years; but I did know that He kept me singing.

I would think of him, and sing those hymns – and I realized I had a friend in Jesus, a wonderful friend.  And I would sing (making up the words where necessary) something like this:

What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.
Have we trials and temptations?  Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer. 

Though I was only a little girl, and though I had to make up some of the words to the song, I knew I could take my situation to Jesus, because Jesus is indeed my Friend.  I knew that if I would call on Him, whether I had the words right or not, He would be right there.  And praise be to God.  I walked out of that closet on those days having no bitterness, no anger, no animosity, nothing, because God met me at the point of my need. 

And He will meet you at the point of your need, because you have – oh, glory! – a friend in Jesus.

Singing in the Closets of Life

In all the closets of my life, I have learned to sing.  When my body is racked with pain, I sing.  When my budget is in excess of my income, I sing.  When my relationships take a turn for the worse, I sing.  When I don't understand what's going on in the government, I sing.  When my children need assistance, I sing.  When church feels uninviting, I sing.  When I've missed an important engagement or assignment, I sing.  When I don't feel like doing my housework, I sing.  When things don't go my way, I sing.  When storms come and the electricity is off, I sing.  When the scales don't show me losing weight, I sing.

Yes, He keeps me singing!  There's not a circumstance in my life that I don't sing my way through, just like an old hymn says:

There's within my heart a melody
Jesus whispers sweet and low:
"Fear not, I am with thee: peace, be still,"
In all of life's ebb and flow.
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,
Sweetest name I know,
Fills my ever longing,
Keeps me singing as I go.