Praise Him Through the Pain

Psalm 137:1-4(NLT)

“Beside the rivers of Babylon, we sat and wept as we thought of Jerusalem. 2 We put away our harps, hanging them on the branches of poplar trees. 3 For our captors demanded a song from us.  Our tormentors insisted on a joyful hymn: “Sing us one of those songs of Jerusalem!” 4 But how can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a pagan land?”

God’s people knew that praise was very important to Him, and they loved to praise Him through song. Even so, the Bible records in the Old Testament that they were a vacillating people and did not always remain faithful to Heavenly Father. They did the unthinkable, and worshipped idol gods, and this was something our Heavenly Father forbids. Because of their disobedience, terrible things happened. They were exiled in Babylon, and their hearts were broken because of how far they had fallen from the lives they once had when they worshipped God. The passage in Psalm 137:1-4 tells us that they sat by the rivers of Babylon and cried. They put away their instruments and couldn’t imagine even singing anymore because their souls were so full of sadness.

This passage allows us to look through the keyhole and examine the cost that the Children of Israel paid for choosing to disobey God. When they were living the good life, able to do just about anything they wanted and could enjoy the fruit of their land, they were contented and comfortable. They took God’s blessings for granted and got to a point where they no longer thanked Him for His goodness, grace, and mercy. Then tragedy struck, and many of them were forced to live in bondage in a foreign land while their home, Jerusalem, was ruined.

What do you do when you find yourself in a place in life that you never expected? Many of us today are facing the darkest times that quite possibly we’ve ever seen. Many have lost their loved ones, while others have lost their jobs and have no way to support their families. The stress of the unknown is mounting in leaps and bounds, and child and domestic abuse is increasing as well. Many are saying the same thing the Children of Israel said, “How can we praise God while we are suffering?”

Life has a way of delivering the unexpected. You can end up in places you never in a million years thought you’d be. You pray relentlessly for God to take away the hurt and pain, but the pain lingers, and it feels overwhelming. In Philippians 4:6(NLT), God tells us exactly how to handle our emotions in troubling times. He said, “Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.”

Your troubling situation does not define you. We are going through, but God guarantees that if we remain obedient and cling to Him, we will come out on the other side. Jesus Christ won the victory for us on the Cross of Calvary. He redeemed us from the curse of sin, and because of his stripes and the brutality he endured, we are healed of all sickness and disease. Not only does God instruct us to pray, He tells us also to praise. Many of us commit to the first part, but neglect the second part. Heavenly Father commands that we to come to Him with the reality of the cross and what Christ has done for us on our minds and hearts. We are to remember continually that He gave His only begotten Son to die so that we can have a more than abundant life.

God tells us to thank Him as we pray. To thank Him is to praise Him already because we’re confident He’s going to honor His promises and bless us. We are to rejoice in thanksgiving while we pray because of who we are praying to. He is the One True God, the Alpha and Omega, the Creator of all that we see. He wants to celebrate His strength and power with us. It should never be said of anyone that loves God that we celebrate and praise humans more than we praise Him. Only He is worthy of our praise.

We are greater than the pain we go through. Romans 8:37 tells us we’re more than conquerors in every situation through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Burdens sometimes get heavy, and it isn’t easy facing some of the troubles we endure, but God is our Deliverer. He is a very present help, and He will honor His Word. So even though our feelings might try to rob the song in our hearts, we must resist this and give God the praise and honor He is due. Our victory is in the praise, and if we continue to hold on to God’s hand, we will witness His amazing power and grace in our situations. ■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

“Praise Him through the Pain”, written by Kim for https://rescuefromdomesticviolence.blogspot.com© 2020. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.