[Verse 1] A snake-catcher walked through the rain, With a worn leather bag and a chain. A thief stole the snake in the night, And called his dark treasure a prize. He laughed as he carried it home, Proud of the prize he had known. He thought he had cheated the poor, But danger was waiting indoors. [Pre-Chorus] The catcher was wounded, but lived, The thief got the death he had risked. The prize that he carried with pride Was the serpent that took him inside. [Chorus] Sometimes the thing that you pray to regain Is the very thing bringing you pain. Sometimes the door that is closed in your face Is mercy that keeps you from disgrace. What I called a loss was a blessing in disguise, What I called defeat kept me safe from demise. I could not see why my prayer went away, But the loss that I mourned was my saving grace. [Verse 2] The catcher saw the thief on the ground, And knew by the snake he had found. He said, “Thank the Lord, I am free, That serpent was never for me.” “I prayed that my snake would return, I begged for the thing I had yearned. I thought Heaven had turned me away, But mercy had answered my prayer that day.” [Pre-Chorus] For prayers can be dressed up as gold, Yet carry a sorrow untold. And wishes that shine in the night Can lead a lost heart from the light. [Chorus] Sometimes the thing that you pray to regain Is the very thing bringing you pain. Sometimes the door that is closed in your face Is mercy that keeps you from disgrace. What I called a loss was a blessing in disguise, What I called defeat kept me safe from demise. I could not see why my prayer went away, But the loss that I mourned was my saving grace. [Bridge] So let what is leaving you go, There are reasons you may never know. The Lord sees the road through the rain, And turns hidden sorrow to gain. Not every “no” means you’re denied, Some “no’s” are the Lord by your side. What feels like a wound in your heart May be where your rescue will start. [Final Chorus] Sometimes the thing that you pray to regain Is the very thing bringing you pain. Sometimes the door that is closed in your face Is mercy that keeps you from disgrace. What I called a loss was a blessing in disguise, What I called defeat kept me safe from demise. I could not see why my prayer went away, But the loss that I mourned was my saving grace. Thank God for the prayers that were turned away, Thank God for the night that gave birth to the day. The profit I wanted became my great loss, But losing that treasure saved me from the cost. [Outro] The thief saw a fortune and carried it home, But death was concealed in the prize he had stolen. The catcher lost something he wanted to save, And found that the loss was the life that God gave. Sometimes the prayer that receives no reply Is the hand of the Merciful passing by. What seems like a loss at the end of the day May be Heaven’s own mercy, guiding your way.
