NECESSARY EVIL

"She didn't ask for the fire. She asked for a way out. But Yahuah, in His wisdom, knew the only way through was straight through the flame..."

Eviction notice on the door at dawn Three babies sleeping, wondering what went wrong The lights cut off, the cupboard running low She fell down to her knees on that cold kitchen floor Cried out to Yahuah, said "I don't understand Why every time I rise, I fall back again" But somewhere in the silence, she heard a still small voice Say "Daughter, this ain't punishment — this is My choice"

He said, "I know the way that you take Every step, every tear, every mistake When I am done with what I've started in you You'll come forth as gold, refined and true"

Through the Refiner's Fire, I will not be consumed What the enemy designed for my destruction Yahuah is using for my bloom Through the Refiner's Fire, every impurity must go He's burning off the dross, making room for His glory Watch me come forth as gold

Two years later, she's standing on a stage Keys to a building, turning a new page The shelter she built from the ashes of her pain Now houses forty families, keeping them from the rain She said, "I used to curse the season that broke me down Now I wear my scars like a crown" Because Malachi said He sits as a refiner Purifying silver, making His daughters finer

(Lead): He knows the way that I take! (Response): He knows! He knows! (Lead): When He has tried me, I shall come forth! (Response): As gold! As gold! (Lead): The fire didn't come to destroy me! (Response): It came to define me! (Lead): Yahuah sits as the Refiner! (Response): And He won't stop 'til He sees His face in me!

"Job said it best — He knoweth the way that I take. When He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. So let the fire come. Let it burn. Because what comes out on the other side is exactly who Yahuah always knew you were."

"Eight years. Eight years of concrete walls and iron bars. Eight years of wondering if Yahuah even remembered your name. But the wilderness was never a punishment. Ask Mosheh. Ask Yisra'el. The wilderness is where Yahuah does His best work."

I walked out those gates with nothing but a bag A number on my record and a past that made me sad People crossed the street when they saw me coming near Couldn't find a job, couldn't shake the fear I used to think that Yahuah had forgotten where I was But the wilderness ain't abandonment — it's just because He's teaching me to trust Him when I can't see the road He's building up my character, preparing me to hold

And He said, "Remember all the ways I led you Through the wilderness to humble you, to test you Not to break you, but to prove There's something greater inside of you"

This is the Wilderness Road Where Yahuah strips away everything you thought you owned This is the Wilderness Road Where He teaches you to walk by faith and not by what you're shown I didn't choose this road, but I won't walk it alone The Wilderness Road is leading me home

I found a Torah study in a storefront on Fifth Street Brothers who had been where I'd been, helped me find my feet They said, "Yahshua walked the wilderness for forty days He came out with power, walking in His Father's ways" So I stopped running from the season I was in Started letting Yahuah use the broken parts of him Now I mentor young men standing where I stood What the devil meant for evil, Yahuah meant for good

"Deuteronomy 8:2 says — 'And thou shalt remember all the way which Yahuah thy Elohim led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart.' He already knew what was in your heart. He was proving it to YOU. The wilderness wasn't your grave. It was your classroom. And Yahuah is the greatest teacher who ever walked through fire with a man."

When I pass through the waters, He is with me When I walk through the rivers, they won't overflow When I walk through the fire, I won't be burned Because Yahuah is with me on this Wilderness Road...

"The most dangerous thing about a platform is thinking you built it yourself. Yahuah sometimes has to remove the stage to remind you who the real foundation is."

I stood behind the pulpit for fifteen years Preached about repentance, but I lived in fear Fear of being seen, fear of being known The man behind the message was broken to the bone I fell — and when I fell, the whole world saw The congregation scattered, the elders withdrew My wife packed her bags on a Tuesday night And I sat in the dark wondering if I'd ever see the light

But Yahuah didn't leave me in the rubble of my shame He whispered through the silence, called me by my name Said, "The sacrifices of Elohim are a broken spirit A broken and contrite heart, I will not despise it"

Broken Bread — poured out, broken, given Broken Bread — this is how the miracle of feeding begins You can't feed the multitude with something still intact Yahuah breaks what He loves so He can give it back Broken Bread — I am broken in His hands Broken Bread — and now I finally understand

Three years in the wilderness, no title, no stage Just me and the Torah and the turning of the page I learned the Name I'd been afraid to speak aloud Yahuah — not a title, not a concept in a cloud A Father who was present in my deepest disgrace Who gave me beauty for ashes, put a smile on my face Now I minister to the broken from a broken place And the anointing flows heavier by Yahuah's grace

Yahshua took the bread and He broke it He took the cup and He poured it He said, "This is My body, given for you" Even the Messiah was broken through So who am I to think that my breaking Is anything less than Yahuah's making? He's not done with me — He's not done with you The breaking is the beginning of something new

"Isaiah 61 says He gives beauty for ashes. The oil of joy for mourning. The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. He called them trees of righteousness. The planting of Yahuah. That He might be glorified. You are His planting. Even in the breaking. Especially in the breaking."

"There are things that will happen to you in this life that will make you question everything you believe... What the enemy called a weapon, Yahuah called a tool. What the devil called your ending, Yahuah called your beginning. This is the Necessary Evil."

They said it was over when the diagnosis came Stage four, no cure, they called it by its name She sat in the waiting room, hands trembling, cold But somewhere in her spirit, she heard a story told Of a man named Iyov who lost it all in a day His health, his children, his wealth all stripped away But Yahuah never left the room — He was watching all along And what looked like the ending was the making of a song

We know — we know — we know That all things work together We know — we know — we know For the good of those who love Him We know — we know — we know For the called according to His purpose Every evil has a reason — every season has a purpose

This is the Necessary Evil The trial that Yahuah allowed to make you This is the Necessary Evil The storm that He permitted to shake you What the devil meant for evil Yahuah meant it for your good The Necessary Evil is working Doing everything it should This is the Necessary Evil And it's working — it's working — it's working for you

Ask Yoseph in the pit, ask him how it felt When his own brothers sold him for the hand he was dealt Thirteen years of slavery, prison, and pain But Pharaoh's palace was waiting at the end of the chain Ask Mosheh in the desert, forty years of sand He thought his calling died but it was just in Yahuah's hand Ask Dawid running from Sha'ul through the wilderness cold Every cave was a classroom, every trial was gold

(Lead): Can you trust Him in the fire? (Choir): Yes we can! Yes we can! (Lead): Can you praise Him in the storm? (Choir): Yes we can! Yes we can! (Lead): Can you hold on through the midnight? (Choir): Yes we can! Yes we can! (Lead): Because Yahuah is working it out! (Choir): Working it out! Working it out! (Lead): Romans 8:28 is not a suggestion! (Choir): It's a promise! It's a promise! (Lead): ALL things — not some things! (Choir): ALL THINGS! ALL THINGS! (Lead): Work together for the good! (Choir): For the good! For the good!

"Genesis 50:20 — 'But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but Elohim meant it unto good.' Whatever they meant against you — Yahuah meant it for you..."

"This song is for the ones who didn't make it to morning. And for the ones who almost didn't. Yahuah is close to the brokenhearted..."

Three a.m. and the silence is so loud The empty room still smells like her, the little cloud Of baby powder and innocence I can't replace I keep reaching for a hand that's left no trace The doctors gave me pills to numb the ache But nothing fills the hollow that her absence makes I stood at the edge of something I can't name And whispered to the darkness, "Is there anyone who came?"

And in the silence, something shifted in the room A warmth I couldn't explain began to move And I heard it — not with ears but with my soul "I am close to the brokenhearted — I am here to make you whole"

This is the Midnight Cry When you've got nothing left but the question "Why?" This is the Midnight Cry When the tears won't stop and you can't say goodbye But Yahuah hears the Midnight Cry He's close to every broken heart tonight Weeping may endure — weeping may endure But joy — joy is coming in the morning light

I found a scripture written in the Psalms That said Yahuah collects our tears inside His palms That He is near to those whose hearts are crushed and torn That He saves the ones whose spirits have been worn I started talking to Him in the middle of the night Not prayers with fancy words, just "Yahuah, hold me tight" And slowly — slowly — like the turning of the tide I found a reason, found a purpose, found a guide

If you're standing at the edge tonight If the darkness feels too wide If you've lost the will to fight Yahuah sees you — Yahuah sees you He has not forgotten your name He has not turned away His face He is present in your pain Yahuah sees you — Yahuah sees you The Ruach HaQodesh is in this room He's breathing life into your dry bones He's making a way out of the tomb You are not alone — you are not alone

"Psalm 34:18 — 'Yahuah is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.' ... Hold on. Morning is coming."

"They threw him in a pit. They sold him for twenty pieces of silver. They told his father he was dead. But you cannot sell what Yahuah has sealed."

I built it from nothing — ten years of my life Poured into a vision, sacrificed the nights My partners smiled and shook my hand at every deal But behind closed doors they were plotting what to steal The contracts disappeared, the accounts were drained My name was dragged through mud, my reputation stained I sat in my car in a parking lot and wept And asked Yahuah, "Is this the harvest that I've kept?"

Sold but not forsaken Thrown down but not taken What they meant to break me Yahuah used to make me I was sold — but Yahuah held the deed I was thrown down — but He planted me like a seed Sold but not forsaken The enemy was mistaken Yahuah's got the final word on me

Psalm 105 says He sent a man before Yoseph was sold as a servant — but there was more The Word of Yahuah tried him, tested him in chains Until the time appointed, until the promise came Now I see it in my story — every betrayal was a door Every pit was preparation for a palace and more The people who sold me out were instruments of grace Unwitting servants of Yahuah's sovereign plan and pace

What they meant for evil — Elohim meant for good! What they meant for evil — Elohim meant for good! To save many lives — to fulfill His purpose! What they meant for evil — Elohim meant for good! I forgive every Potiphar, every pit, every chain! Because Yahuah used every one of them to bring me to my reign! The palace was always the plan! The pit was just the process! Yahuah had the final word — and His word cannot be stopped!

"Genesis 50:20 — Yoseph said to his brothers: 'You intended to harm me, but Elohim intended it for good...'"

"Eighteen years old. No family. No home. No plan. Just a garbage bag of belongings and a system that said, 'You're on your own now.' But Yahuah said something different. He said, 'I know the plans I have for you.'"

Eighteen candles, no one there to blow them out Aged out of the system, full of fear and doubt Seven different houses, never felt like home Always on the outside, always felt alone Watched the other kids get picked up after school Wondered what was wrong with me, felt like a fool But somewhere in the silence of a group home bed I heard a voice that wasn't in my head

He said, "When your father and your mother forsake you I will take you — I will take you I have plans for you, not evil but of peace To give you a future and a hope that will not cease"

This is the Valley Season But Yahuah has a reason Even when I can't see it, He can see it Even when I can't feel it, He can feel it This is the Valley Season But I'm not here without a reason Yahuah knows my name — He knows my name He knew me before I came This Valley Season is not my forever Yahuah's got a plan and He'll see me through

I found a fellowship that took me in like kin Called me by my Hebrew name, said "Let the healing begin" Taught me about Yahuah — not religion but a Father Who sees the orphan and the widow and goes further Jeremiah 29:11 became my life verse I wrote it on my mirror to rehearse "For I know the thoughts I think toward you, saith Yahuah Thoughts of peace and not of evil — I have not forgot ya"

I am not an accident I am not a mistake I was formed in the womb of Yahuah's purpose Before my first breath, He knew my face I am not forgotten I am not alone Yahuah is my Father And He's bringing me home Every valley has a mountain on the other side Every night has a morning — I will not be denied Yahuah's got a future written out for me And this Valley Season is just the beginning of my story

"Psalm 27:10 says — 'When my father and my mother forsake me, then Yahuah will take me up.' ... You are chosen."

"Shadrach. Meshach. Abednego. They didn't come out of the fire unburned. They came out of the fire unbound. The only thing the fire burned were the ropes that held them. What is the fire burning in your life right now? Look closer. It might be your chains."

Two in the morning, the smoke alarm screamed They ran out with nothing, not even a dream Forty years of memories turned to ash and soot The photo albums, the heirlooms, the family book Standing in the street in the cold December air Watching everything they'd built just disappear The father fell to his knees on the frozen ground And through the crackling flames, he heard a sound

"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you When you walk through the rivers, they will not overflow you When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned The flames will not consume you — this is what you've earned"

Through the Fire — I will not be burned Through the Fire — there are lessons to be learned Through the Fire — there's a fourth man in the flame Yahshua HaMashiach — He is always the same Through the Fire — what cannot burn will remain Through the Fire — only ashes bear His name I came out of the fire — I came out of the fire I came out of the fire — unbound, unburned, and free

Six months later, the community came around New walls, new floors, new life on holy ground But the father said the strangest thing occurred In the middle of the fire, he heard the Word He said, "I held on to things I should have let go Idols of comfort that I didn't even know The fire burned the ropes that had me bound to stuff And showed me Yahuah alone is more than enough"

The three Hebrew boys didn't bow — didn't bow! They said, "Our Elohim is able to deliver us now!" And even if He doesn't — we will not bow down! Because Yahuah is worthy of the praise and the crown! And when they looked in the furnace, there were four in the flame! The Son of Elohim was walking — walking in their pain! He never left them — He never left them! He walked through the fire with them! And He'll walk through the fire with you!

"Daniel 3:25 — 'Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire... and the form of the fourth is like the Son of Elohim.'"

"He came home to a parade that lasted one day. The nightmares lasted years. ... But Yahuah is a healer of the whole man — body, mind, and spirit."

He came home with medals and a hollow in his chest Couldn't sleep at night, couldn't give his mind a rest The faces of the fallen followed him around Every car backfire put him back on foreign ground His wife tried to reach him through the wall he'd built His children tiptoed 'round his anger and his guilt He sat in the VA parking lot for hours Wondering if Yahuah had abandoned him in the towers

This is the Weight of Glory The heavy price of living out your story This is the Weight of Glory The scars that tell the world you didn't quit This is the Weight of Glory Not the weight of shame, not the weight of guilt This is the Weight of Glory Built on every broken thing that Yahuah rebuilt The Weight of Glory — it's not what broke you The Weight of Glory — it's what Yahuah spoke through you

A chaplain at the center handed him a scroll Said, "Brother, Dawid was a warrior with a broken soul He wrote the Psalms from battlefields and caves He cried out to Yahuah from the darkest of his days" He read Psalm 34 and something cracked inside "Yahuah is close to the brokenhearted" — he finally cried For the first time since the war, he let the tears fall free And Yahuah met him in that moment — set the captive free

Dawid said, "Yahuah is my light and my salvation — whom shall I fear?" He said it from a cave — he said it with enemies near Sha'ul was hunting him, his own son turned against him But Yahuah never left him — never left him The afflictions were many — but the deliverances were more Every battle was a testimony — every wound became a door To the Weight of Glory — the eternal, the unseen The things that eye has not seen and ear has not heard That Yahuah has prepared for those who love Him This is the Weight of Glory

"2 Corinthians 4:17 says: 'For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.' ... Yahuah sees every scar. And He calls them beautiful."

"We have walked through the fire together. We have stood in the wilderness together. We have wept at midnight together... ALL things — not some things — ALL things work together for the good of them that love Elohim..."

For the mother who came through the Refiner's Fire For the brother who walked the Wilderness Road For the pastor who was broken like bread For every soul who carried a heavy load For the woman who cried at midnight alone For the dreamer who was sold but not forsaken For the child who had no place to call home For the family whose house was taken

ALL THINGS — work together for the good ALL THINGS — doing exactly what they should ALL THINGS — for the ones who love Yahuah ALL THINGS — for the called according to His purpose ALL THINGS — the fire and the flood ALL THINGS — the betrayal and the blood ALL THINGS — the midnight and the morning ALL THINGS — are working — ALL THINGS are working ALL THINGS are working together for your good!

For the veteran carrying the Weight of Glory For the teenager in the Valley Season For the family who walked Through the Fire Every trial had a Yahuah-given reason Nothing was wasted — not one single tear Not one sleepless night, not one season of fear Yahuah was weaving every thread of your pain Into a tapestry of purpose — nothing was in vain

(Spoken — building with music): "Habakkuk said — ... 'Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls...' YET... YET I will rejoice in Yahuah. YET I will joy in the Elohim of my salvation. That one word. YET. Is the most powerful word in the vocabulary of faith. NAY — in ALL these things — we are MORE than conquerors through Him that loved us!"

ALL THINGS — work together for the good! ALL THINGS — the fire and the flood! ALL THINGS — are working — ALL THINGS are working! ALL THINGS are working together for your good!

"Romans 8:28 — 'And we know that all things work together for good to them that love Elohim, to them who are the called according to His purpose.' You were called. You were chosen. You were refined. You were tested. You were tried. You were broken. You were remade. This is the Necessary Evil. And it is working. For your good. For His glory. Forever. Hallelu-Yah."