It was a dark and stormy night…in the depths of my soul.
It had been another day of relentless fatigue, weakness, and headache, among other symptoms. I spent the morning in bed, didn’t go to work in the afternoon, and stayed home from the evening Bible study.
I finally broke under the attacks I felt I was under, both physical and spiritual, and I cried long and hard in the empty house.
Sometimes in those moments, God gives you words for your heart to hear. Words that can only come from Him. That’s what He did for me that night. As I cried, He brought consolation, truth, and powerful lessons to my needy soul.
Psalm 57, “A Michtam of David when he fled from Saul into the cave.” David wrote this psalm during one of the most trying circumstances of his life, with pain that seeps into every word:
“Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me!
For my soul trusts in You;
And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge,
Until these calamities have passed by.
I will cry out to God Most High,
To God who performs all things for me.
He shall send from heaven and save me;
He reproaches the one who would swallow me up. Selah
God shall send forth His mercy and His truth.
My soul is among lions;
I lie among the sons of men
Who are set on fire,
Whose teeth are spears and arrows,
And their tongue a sharp sword” (vs. 1-4, NKJV).
Can you read David’s fear, his danger, his loss, his pleading?
Look what he writes next, in the smack dab middle of the psalm:
“Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
Let Your glory be above all the earth” (vs. 5).
Sorry, what? One moment, David is begging God for relief from his trial, detailing in powerful, poetic imagery the stress and the fear of his situation. The next moment, however, he’s proclaiming words of praise to God, the Creator and the Almighty. Right in the middle of his psalm.
In the middle of his trial.
And it made me think: If David could praise God during his pain, in the midst of his trial, so could I.
So that night, in tears, through tears, with tears, I proclaimed, “God, I praise You.”
I didn’t feel worshipful. I didn’t feel like praising God. But I took a page out of David’s book and spoke the words anyway.
“God, I praise You.”
I repeated the words over and over again, and in this exercise of faith I found that I believed them, that I wanted to say them, that I could continue from them into a kind of worship that went beyond my circumstances, beyond my broken body and empty house, beyond this life and this world to the One above and behind it all.
Psalm 150:6 says, “Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.”
I have learned that as long as I have breath, I can praise God (though some days it’s easier than others). I invite you to embrace this same lesson.
If you struggle to praise God in the midst of your pain, or if you don’t know how, here’s a three-step process I’ve found to be helpful:
1. Praise God for who He is.
God’s character never changes according to our circumstances. So no matter what we’re going through, we can–and should–praise Him for who He is. This is the simplest place to start when praising God in the pain.
“God, I praise You. I praise You because You are God and You are worthy of praise. I praise You because You are good, kind, loving, wise, all-powerful, holy, beautiful, just. God, I praise You because . . .”
If you’re having a hard time finding words, memorize Scripture verses of worship to God or descriptions of God (E.g. Rev. 4:11, I Chron. 29:11-13, Ps. 18:1-3, Is. 40:12, etc.). Reciting or reading these verses will help shift your focus from your circumstances to your God and will refresh your heart.
2. Praise God for things outside your trial.
This is a good way to start including things from your life in your praise to God. Focus on the things that are good and praiseworthy around you (Philippians 4:8).
“God, I praise You because I’m alive, because I can breathe, because I can move. I praise You for this house I’m in, for the bed I have, for the encouraging book I’m reading, for the friends You’ve given me, for the time I have to rest.” And so on.
Praising God for specific things will help you focus on the positive and will cultivate gratitude in your heart.
(Pro tip: The more specific you can get, the better! “God, I praise you for my friend who brought me my favorite Lavender Latté this afternoon.” “Lord, I praise you for the encouraging podcast about hope in suffering I listened to this morning.” “Father, I praise you because I was able to walk to the mailbox this evening.”)
3. Praise God for things in your trial.
Sometimes, it takes the first two steps to reach this place of being able to praise God for the pain and the things related to it. It may take years of wrestling before you can open up your hands and give God the pain itself in a sacrifice of praise.
“God, I praise You for this trial, for what You’re doing, even if I can’t see what it is. I praise You for the chance to learn more about You and to lean more deeply into You in new, sweet fellowship. I praise You for the weakness that highlights my need for You, for the pain that reminds me of Your Son’s sacrifice, for the exhaustion that makes me look forward to Heaven’s rest. I praise You for the opportunities to minister, to encourage others, and to see You work in ways I could only have seen and experienced through this trial.”
Because of the cost involved, this kind of praise for the pain in the pain is one of the most precious forms of worship we can give God. It’s also the surest way to twist the last of our thoughts out of the devil’s clutches and send him packing in God-claimed victory.
Reaching this place of praise doesn’t guarantee staying in it forever. We’re human, and our souls will go up and down as often as our circumstances. Whether you’re already here, were here in seasons past, or have never been here, keep leaning into God’s strength, and allow Him to bring you–or bring you back–to these heights of worship (Habakkuk 3:19).
My hands are weak and trembling
But I raise them up to You, Lord.
My voice is broken, just a whisper,
But I raise it up to You, Lord.
No matter where my steps may take me,
No matter what this life may bring me,
No matter how long I lament or cry,
No matter what each stanza holds,
My refrain will always be,
“God, I praise You.”
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Written by: Melissa Troutman
Meet Melissa! This girl is talented at...well...EVERYTHING! She's one smart cookie who spends her days as a Teacher's Aide and a professional tutor. Not only is Melissa the co-founder of The Valley, she’s also a lover of Mexican food (fun fact: She's a fluent Spanish speaker), herbal tea, and playing the church piano! Passionate about writing, her dream is to one day publish her four book fantasy series, and you’d better believe we’ll be first in line for a signed copy!