Once an aspiring symphony conductor, Story didn’t even know she could sing - much less write songs - until she was in her early twenties. Today, Story is not only a gifted vocalist and worship leader but also the composer of one of the most beloved worship songs of our generation - “Indescribable.” The song has topped charts and been recorded by multiple artists, but most importantly, it has helped people all over the world experience our magnificent God. Story had no idea her life would be used for such a purpose. Set to release her label debut on INO Records (Sara Groves, MercyMe, Derek Webb) in January 2008, Story is still learning that God’s plan is far deeper and wider than she ever thought possible.
So how did a string bassist from South Carolina end up penning a worship anthem known and loved by millions? It all began with a providential moment in the class registration line her sophomore year at Columbia International University.
“I was a YoungLife leader, and I saw another guy in line wearing a YoungLife t-shirt,” Story recalls. “He said he was in a band and asked me if I wanted to come play with them. I had never played in a band – it had never even crossed my mind.” The band was Silers Bald, who would later become a popular indie pop-rock band in the Southeast. The young man she met was vocalist Shane Williams, and by the time they’d made it through the registration line, Story was their newest female member.
Story started out playing string bass, graduated to electric bass, and then took a stab at vocals when the original female vocalist left. Completely out of her comfort zone but willing to trust God with her newfound vocal ability, she even tried her hand at songwriting, and their fans desired more. “The Lord taught me that it’s not necessarily what I think my strengths are. That’s not how He determines what He’s going to use,” says Story.
Five years and many road miles later, Story found herself being led a different direction musically, just as Silers Bald was on the brink of signing a deal with Essential Records. “I knew the Lord was telling me it was time for something new, and I needed to be in or out,” says Story. They amicably parted ways and Story ended up touring with folk-rock artist Andrew Peterson that spring. When her manager suggested she record an independent album with the songs she had written while in Silers, Story was still unconvinced her vocals could stand on their own: “Why would I do that?” she answered. “That would mean I’d have to sing on it!” Besides, she was out of money and didn’t have enough songs for a full record.
But those challenges were overcome when God provided more money and more songs. In 2002, Story began recording her first independent album with producer Stephen Gause and trusted that the last song she needed to round out the album would be provided. Soon after, she was driving down a mountain road, eyes fixed on the majesty of her Creator, when she started worshiping and singing, “Indescribable…uncontainable…You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name…”. Story added verses on the piano and finished the song while reading God’s own description of His power and might in Job Chapter 38. Her first record was now complete. And considering the road Story had traveled to get to this place, “Indescribable” was the perfect title track.
What brought “Indescribable” into churches all across the U.S. and the world was when Chris Tomlin recorded it for his 2004 release, Arriving, produced by Ed Cash (Caedmon’s Call, Bebo Norman, Bethany Dillon). When Cash, a longtime friend of Story’s from YoungLife circles, suggested that Tomlin use “Indescribable” as his first single, Story was shocked. “I remember saying, ‘That song will never work for corporate worship. There’s no way congregations are going to sing that!’ But it’s humbling and amazing to see what the Lord has done. When I was looking for it, I couldn’t find it. When I just started worshiping, He blew me out of the water.”
“Indescribable” flew up the AC charts where it stayed 1 for 7 weeks and in the top 15 for 50 weeks. The song was also included on the Passion CD/DVD in 2005, Tomlin’s 2006 release, Live From Austin Music Hall, and performed by Avalon for WoW Worship 2006. The list of accolades goes on, but even with millions of people now familiar with her words, Story takes no more credit for writing them than she would for creating the Appalachian Mountains. “I always think the last song I wrote was my last song. Just when my mind is completely blank and I don’t know if I’ll write a song again, God surprises me. The songs are His - I’m just the first person who gets to hear them.”
In 2005, Story released her second independent album, There Is Nothing, produced by Ed Cash and Mitch Dane (Jars of Clay). That same year she married her high school sweetheart, Martin Elvington, and moved to Atlanta to become the worship leader and women’s pastor for the arts and music community at Perimeter Church.
Shortly after inking the deal with INO Records in 2006, a trial entered Story’s life that would not only provide her with a deeper understanding of God’s sovereignty, but also serve as fodder for the songs on her new record. After one year of marriage, Story’s husband was hospitalized with a brain tumor.
“There was a time he was on a breathing machine and we weren’t sure he was going to make it. I spent my whole life singing, ‘’Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,’ but until Jesus took me through something where my only option was to trust Him, I didn’t really know that sweetness,” reflects Story. While supporting her husband through surgery, radiation, complications, and intense physical therapy, Story has composed new songs with meaty, real substance that have ministered to her as much as they will minister to her listeners.
“It’s hard to understand why God would allow us to go through this, but I know He works all things together for good, and I feel my new album is reflecting that. Though He leads us through valleys, that’s when we get to trust Him and draw closer to Him all the more. Though I’ve doubted, His grasp has never released, never slipped. He’s remained completely faithful to me. He has proven that He really is my foundation and my hope.”
On a regular basis, Story gets to share this hope with the 100+ women she ministers to through her job at Perimeter Church; and it’s not a job she’s giving up anytime soon. After all, the opportunity to pour into others’ lives and treasure each moment reminds Story that she is just a passenger on this remarkable journey.
“Mine is not the perfect voice or the perfect life. My life is as messy as the next person’s, and God is using me to speak to the church. For this season of my life, God has really blessed me with some insight into who He is and what that has to do with me. For some reason He just gives it to me in song form.”
With the way inspiration comes to Laura Story, it’s exciting to wonder what will be around the next mountain bend…
Blessings
Laura Story Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
And all the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things
What if Your healing comes through tears?
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near?
And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?
We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
And all the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe
'Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops?
What if Your healing comes through tears?
And what if the thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near?
And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?
When friends betray us
And when darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
It's not our home
'Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops?
What if Your healing comes through tears?
And what if the thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near?
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise?
In Laura Story's song Blessings, she explores the complex relationship humans have with God and the difficulties that arise in our faith when we experience suffering and pain. The song speaks about how we pray for blessings, peace, comfort, and healing, and even though God hears each spoken need, sometimes His love is greater than to just give us the small things we ask for. Through the lyrics, the artist asks what if God's blessings come in ways that we don't expect or ask for, such as raindrops, tears, or sleepless nights, and what if the trials of life are His mercies in disguise?
The first verse sets up the song's introspective and questioning tone with a list of things that we pray for from God. The second verse addresses the doubts and anger that humans feel towards God when we cannot feel Him near us or see the reality of our prayers. In the bridge, the song becomes more concrete, acknowledging the very real pain that comes in life when friends betray us and darkness seems to win. However, even in our suffering, we know that this world is not our home, and that God's blessings and mercies come in ways that we don't expect.
Throughout the song, the artist explores the idea that blessings don't always come in the form of tangible things that we pray for, but instead, God's blessings come in the form of growth and learning from the trials and suffering in life. The song's powerful message is that God's love is complex and vast, and our faith in Him can be strengthened through the storms and tears of life.
Line by Line Meaning
We pray for blessings
We make requests for miracles and divine assistance.
We pray for peace
We request a profound personal sense of tranquility.
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We appeal for our kith and kin and our physical safety to be guaranteed.
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We implore for physical and material wellbeing.
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
We petition for divine intervention to alleviate our pain.
And all the while, You hear each spoken need
Every time, You listen and heed our request.
Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things
Your love for us is so great that You won't consent to settle for anything subpar.
'Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops?
What if blessings come from dreadful situations, like rainfall?
What if Your healing comes through tears?
What if healing comes from tears of sorrow and suffering?
What if a thousand sleepless nights
What if going through insomnia and nightmares repeatedly
Are what it takes to know You're near?
Is what it necessitates for us to detect Your presence?
And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?
What if hardships in life are Your acts of kindness done in secrecy?
We pray for wisdom
We ask for comprehension and insight.
Your voice to hear
We ask to be able to hear Your guidance and wisdom.
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We weep in fury when we feel that You are not close.
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
We become skeptical of Your benevolence and love.
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
As though each word and pledge of Yours do not suffice.
And all the while, You hear each desperate plea
Unbeknownst to us, You listen to every beseeching voice.
And long that we'd have faith to believe
You wish that we entrust in You and have faith in Your doings.
'Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops?
What if blessings come from disastrous situations?
What if Your healing comes through tears?
What if healing originates from lamenting?
And what if the thousand sleepless nights
What if prolonged periods of insomnia and bad dreams
Are what it takes to know You're near?
Are the measures necessitated to establish Your proximity?
And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?
What if misfortunes in life are actually Your thoughtful gestures performed in secrecy?
When friends betray us
When people we consider as peers show disloyalty.
And when darkness seems to win
And when everything appears grim and despairing.
We know that pain reminds this heart
We realize that suffering makes us remember
That this is not, this is not our home
That this planet is not our actual abode
'Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops?
What If pain leads to good in the end?
What if Your healing comes through tears?
What healing arises from mourning?
And what if the thousand sleepless nights
What if living through multiple instances of sleeplessness
Are what it takes to know You're near?
Are the actions we have to undertake before coming in contact with Your presence?
What if my greatest disappointments
What if my unmitigated sadness or disheartenment
Or the aching of this life
Or my mental or physical pains and suffering
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy?
Is the indication of a desire the world can't quench?
And what if trials of this life
What if the tests of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
The disappointments, the conflicts, the nights of intense suffering
Are Your mercies in disguise?
Are Your acts of kindness done in secrecy?
Lyrics © CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP, Capitol CMG Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Laura Story
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@alainbaril1781
Blessing
B – egin your day with
L – ove in your heart
E – xpect blessing
S – hare goodness
......S – hine like the sun
I – nspire some one
N – ever forget that
G – OD is with you all the time !!
@alainbaril1781
My Creator
Elohim –Creator—is used 2, 570 times in the Old Testament
It is the Hebrew word for God used most often, first in Genesis 1 : 1 : ‘’In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
God wad the Creator—the Creator of everything—long before He was our Father.
The name Elohim is always connected to creation and power.
In Exodus 3 : 4 the voice of Elohim spoke from the midst of a bush, calling Moses to lead the children of Israel from captivity.
In Exodus 20 : 3, God commanded His children to have no other gods before Him
Throughout the Bible, the name of God is more than a distinguished title.
The name represents God’s divine nature and relationship to His people.
The various name of God represent Him as Hi is know, and through the name Elohim, He present Himself—His love, power, mercy, and glory—to His creation
@vanessayolo0930
Sometimes i think I'm lost in life now, I don't know why😢😢
I don't want to give up😢😢.
Beacause of the emotional pain and trauma of my childhood, i have sleepless nights, bad dreams, losing interests on many things. This drains my life everyday.
I become secretive person.
Before i am soft spoken, but now i am talkaltive (cursing sometimes) .
I felt that I am changing everyday, ruining myself and little bit losing my faith, praying less.
I didn't pray when i woke up, when i eat food etc😢. Although before i did this always.
Thats why i am here listening to this song because i want to regain my faith and don't lose my hope in God and life and to Start again.
Because my life is blessing and this are all trials
Thank you
@alisinavuga2123
@@marianneschrader753 Praying that your sister recover. I pray that this passage will comfort and encourage you, Psalm 103 1-4
1 Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
3 Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
4 Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
@Sheonlyone00
We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things
'Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise
We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe
When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not our home
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy
What if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise
@jeremynazareno3662
I lost my mom last week due to COVID-19. This was her favorite song, and it gives me hope. She’s rejoicing with the Lord now ❤️
@bethechannelofpeace1306
May God comfort you and strengthen you, this is my prayer in Jesus name🙏
@goandgrow9352
May the Spirit of the Lord filled you with peace and joy! Godbless you brother!
@saritatopno2358
Yes your mother has joined our father God in heaven..
@christinapeace6952
She is in a really better place now! May God bless you!🙏🏻
@bellevillaluz3066
Shes with the Lord now...at peace and happy
@nikrotolero1979
i'm a covid patient,... this song heals me.. i come closer to God..
@erlemartincarvalho1733
May His healing light and love envelope you and make you whole again.
@mahideayanaa7335
The lord heals us just as simply by thinking of him and talking to him everyday 🥰
@michaelasandra5995
Be strong. God with you always :)