...All Things Well
The Story
The idea for this song came while I was listening to a sermon in 2009 (I was 14 at the time). The minister told the story of an African-American lady he met at a church where he was preaching. The pastor of the church related that this lady, who was so caught up in the worship of the service, had recently been diagnosed with stage four cancer. Previous to her diagnosis, her two sons and husband had been shot and killed by a gang. When the pastor received news of the shooting and rushed to the hospital to be with the family, he asked this grieving wife and mother if there was anything he could do to help. Her response was simple, "Let's have church. Help me remember that He does all things well."
The convicting part of this story is that this little African-American lady was not deterred by her circumstances. She chose instead to focus on worshiping the One Whom she found to do, "...All Things Well."
As I listened to this story being told, I thought, someone needs to write a song with that title. I went home and wrote this song a few weeks later.
Why the ellipsis? I chose to include the ellipsis (...) as the prequel to the title "All Things Well" to signify that I am taking into account the good things and the bad things this song highlights. The ellipsis should be a reminder of the things the verses talk about, while the rest of the title reminds us of the fact that all of these things are done well by the One Who makes no mistakes.
The Song
1) If you’re looking at a rainbow
If you’re hurting from the pain
If the sun above is shining
If the skies begin to rain
If the path you trod is happy
If you don’t know which way to go
I can assure of this one thing
I have proven it so
Ch) He does all things well
He makes no mistakes
The bad, the good, the heartbreaking
But He’s always the same
He does all things well
All things well
We can trust Him with our lives
We can trust Him with ourselves
He does all things well
2) When the birds are singing
When you’ve lost your dearest friend
When the skies above are clearing
When your heart just needs to mend
When the storm has so confused you
You cannot see the light of day
Let me tell you ‘bout my Jesus
This is all I have to say
Bridge) So I will take my alabaster box
And brake it, knowing He sees
Then I will take my hair, and dry the tears
That have fallen on His feet
For the tears of love and the broken box
Are gifts that are no longer mine
He can take them, and use them
He makes everything beautiful in His time
©May 1, 2009 Merilee J. Barnard