Raise a Hallelujah -- Jonathan David Helser, Melissa Helser, Molly Skaggs, Jake Stevens

 

Could another symbol trigger more anxiety for parents than this rather innocuous blue square with an ‘H’ in it? Sickness is devastating for parents of young children, and it’s probably safe to assume that if it happens at Christmastime, the ache is magnified. Who wants to be in a hospital at a time of the year when children are supposed to be joyfully anticipating presents, making Christmas cookies, playing in the snow, and hearing about the Christ-birth miracle? But, that’s where friends and cohorts of the Helsers (Jonathan David and Melissa), Molly Skaggs, and Jake Stevens were, late in 2018. A little boy (Jaxon Taylor, son of Joel and Janie Taylor) had a potentially deadly illness, and so they did what Christians do: they prayed, I “Raise a Hallelujah”, despite an overwhelming sense that they would be at a funeral service in the coming days. They called it a miracle when Jaxon recovered. Tragedy was transmuted to joy and further affirmed the trust they had already expressed to the Great Physician. Wanna be moved emotionally, and rediscover that He cares when we’re in trouble? Check out the links to the story of the song below the next paragraph. They speak for themselves…

 

It was a Job-like moment (Job 1:13-22). He too must have felt that the enemy was nearby, observing and gloating that he and his family were under assault. In Job’s case, the assault actually succeeded in killing his sons, daughters, and servants, so from this episode, we might have expected a righteous indignation to erupt from his soul. And yet, he worshipped (v.21). How? Why? Perhaps it is just another phase in the response of a genuine believer -- that one does not run or complain, but confronts the enemy by calling upon Him who sees all. Realize you don’t have all the ammunition to win the fight, and instead call headquarters and ask for the strategic strike. That’s kinda what Jonathan Helser describes in that instant in which he and Melissa were facing a ‘giant of unbelief’, and something spontaneous happened in that unforgettable moment. He sang the song’s title words ‘in the presence of the enemies’; indeed, this was his only ‘weapon…the melody’ he was singing. In this defining moment, the song was recorded and subsequently given to the Taylors, who played it over their stricken little boy. ‘Victory’…that is the name of the album that contains this song, an appropriate designation for the reversal of this deathbed-like incident and the recovery of Jaxon! God is still the God who cares, and listens to those like Joseph, Daniel and his three friends, Job, and so many others who remained upright despite staggering circumstances. Just re-read Hebrews 11, flash the ‘V’ with two fingers, and sing your own hallelujah the next time you feel afflicted.          

 

See the song’s story in the following links:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raise_a_Hallelujah

 

https://www.thechristianbeat.org/miraculous-global-unifying-story-three-year-old-jaxon-taylor-inspired-new-bethel-music-favorite/

 

https://www.foxnews.com/health/two-year-old-jaxons-miracle-healing-sparked-worship-anthem-we-believe-in-the-power-of-praise

 

https://www.faithwire.com/2019/02/18/interview-bethels-joel-taylor-reveals-tragedy-turned-victory-that-birthed-new-worship-album/

 

This is the link for the hospital symbol: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hospital.svg (Public domain statement from copyright holder: “I, the copyright holder of this work, release this work into the public domain. This applies worldwide. In some countries this may not be legally possible; if so: I grant anyone the right to use this work for any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions are required by law.”)

If You Say Go -- Diane Thiel-Sharp

 

Her own words have echoed deeply and broadly as the years have mounted up, and as life experiences have engulfed her. But, could Diane Thiel (she’s since remarried Rod Sharp) have reasonably perceived that what was going on in Chicago (see its seal here) in the 1990s would have meaning for her some two decades later? She believed – and still does – that the Holy Spirit had her say “If You Say Go” once upon a time. That little phrase compelled her and her family to make an emotional move, away from a place and people that they loved, and into another life-stage where it seemed one trouble after another beset her. ‘Why?’, she might have cried out in aggravation, except that her disposition was to follow Him, no matter what. That’s what has helped her see, with patience and devotion, how that little song-title has taken on multiple meanings, and filled out her days with appreciation for how He works in unexpected ways. ‘Amazing’, she would probably admit.

 

It all began in her car, as she recalls what she was doing in the Chicago area, sometime before 1997. In a podcast (see its link below), Diane reminisces that she felt an overflow, and a response to what was happening in her life – that it was a desperation to love God wholly, to want what He wanted, and that this came from a life of passion and joy. She says that this steadfastness also later connected with people in difficult circumstances. The song just came over her, such that she felt like she was taking dictation from someone -- the Holy Spirit -- even as she was eating and driving at the same time. Later at home, she refined the song further as she sat at her piano. And the effect, which her song’s words would shortly have, were indeed life-changing. She and her husband decided that leaving Chicago, a place with a rewarding worship ministry where they’d been for some time, was part of His call. When her husband was seriously injured, even as their move was still in progress, Diane might have blanched if she’d had a crystal ball and could have seen ahead for the next several years. In short, Diane’s husband’s debilitation derailed their lives for the next seven years. When he finally had a surgery, life briefly seemed to return to normal. But then, her husband was killed in a car accident – a shock like none she’d ever had before. But wait, it got worse for Diane, whose close friend was dying of disease, so that one tragedy piled upon another over a period of another three years. ‘If You Say Go’? A positive turnaround began as she and her friend’s widowed husband grieved and tried to help each other, and as Diane continued to serve in ministry by attending conferences. Two unexpected events – this time, positive ones – then transpired. At one conference, her song, which had never been published, was sung by others, prompting a producer to approach her about introducing it to the wider music world. And then, the friendship that she and her widowed friend’s husband had shared, as they grieved the losses of their mates, blossomed into remarriage for the two. Looking backward in the early 2020s, Diane has seen ‘If You Say Go’ as a thread that’s run through her life over 25 years. How many of us would still be saying those words, if we’d experienced what she has?

 

Diane added a few words (at the end of her podcast) that help her sum up how she feels about what has happened to herself in the wake of writing ‘If You Say Go’. Trusting and being patient with God, and agreeing to not inhibit what He’s doing, no matter how slow the process seems, are keys for her. But, she also seems to think each person’s heart is different, and may not be as expressive as another’s, so a worship leader should not be trying to judge others by outward appearances. Facing what God has for each of us is an individual decision; but everyone should eventually face what God has for them. Let Him bring to the surface what you need to experience. Keep your eyes on Him, and just watch what He can do. That’s been Diane’s voice inside of herself for some time. Is He saying that to you, too?

    

Listen to the podcast at this link for the song story and more about the author-composer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZa3ZOXDaVg (at minute 30:00 for story)  See the same podcast here: https://chartable.com/podcasts/the-ferment-podcast-conversations-about-worship-and-transformation/episodes/115585470-if-you-say-go-diane-thielsharps-incredible-journey

 

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