how to praise god when you are suffering

Posted By on Jan 20, 2021 |

It is fitting for us to praise the Lord in the midst of our suffering. Suffering, in some form, affects us all, causing us to cry out in pain or scream that life is unfair. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. In this life, we might never really understand why some things have happened. As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. By asking “Why?” the psalmist demonstrates his feelings that God is in some way responsible for his trouble. When You Feel Surrounded, Fight Your Battles with Praise. I pray for your strength as I face suffering. Joining their brothers and sisters in lament gives sufferers an opportunity to take hold of the faith of others who are grieving along with them or have grieved in the past. The Bible answers that questions for us: “Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? (I Peter 5:10) Okay, Peter, so what you are telling me is that Suffering Settled? One should be careful in the use of these psalms as some of them relate illness to personal sin. And upon the lyre I shall praise You, O God, my God. I praise You Lord, for You are my strong tower, into Whose everlasting arm I flee for protection and safety, for You have pledged to uphold me with the right hand of Your righteousness. If you ask most people, they will tell you it is easy for them to thank God when things are going well, but it’s not so easy to praise God when life throws them a curveball. In my experience, suffering, loss, and grief have been very effective in blocking my ability and desire to praise God. March 3, 2019 appleheart. 2 Corinthians 1:7-9 However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. Another caution in the use of these psalms is that the words uttered should never be considered a magical formula for physical healing. It is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. https://omf.org/blog/2019/03/26/worshipping-god-through-suffering Services of lament are particularly needful when it becomes impossible to take part in a service of praise that contradicts personal and corporate feelings and experience. We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. God does not always offer us answers. )Praise God that He is love (I John 4:7-8), and that because of Jesus’ sacrifice you know what love looks like (I John 3:16). But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. [5] Bernhard Anderson lists forty-eight individual laments, thirteen communal laments (with two more questionable), and several psalms of mixed genre that include lament. As our relationship with God encompasses all of life, it is possible, indeed essential, that we learn how to worship God through the rough times when mumbling, “Praise the Lord, anyway,” simply won’t do. However, where our experience and the testimony of Scripture differ from our practice, we must ask some penetrating questions that will help us get back on track. Peter wrote, “The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment” ( 2 Peter 2:9 ). Remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But those who suffer he delivers in their suffering; he speaks to them in their affliction. Suffering can make us grateful for what we had or still have. [8] Though commonly divided into individual psalms of lament and corporate psalms of lament, there is an additional distinction between them, as some locate the source of difficulty in one’s circumstances and seek God’s deliverance while others identify God as the one who brings the trouble and entreat him to withhold his hand. Pray – (1/2 minute) Read – (3 minutes) “But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed. Defend my cause and redeem me; preserve my life according to your promise. Long ago I learned from your statutes that you established them to last forever. Thank You, Abba, for your perfect work. The hour in which Jesus performed his greatest act of worship was marked by sorrow, suffering, and prayers of lamentation to God. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. But God’s word is not chained. Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. I remember one of the students saying how incredible it was to him that Christianity could be viewed by many students as a belief-system that could be added onto their present lives with little change. [11] John D. Witvliet, Worship Seeking Understanding: Windows into Christian Practice (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2003), 46–47. Though you may have read the psalms in the midst of other trials in the past, perhaps it’s time for a fresh look at how they can serve as a source of hope and comfort for illness. As many of the lament psalms were written for those experiencing physical illness, there is great pastoral value in making them part of our prayers. Instead of praying like that, many Christians fall for the enemy’s lies and come under condemnation and suffering. Why so disturbed within me? His final words were likewise drawn from a psalm of lament: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46; cf. The welcome that Jesus showed as he embraced the world of his day should impel us to welcome everyone in need to come for prayer. Indeed, as the believing community acknowledges that life is fraught with danger and disorder, these prayers become “an act of bold faith.”[9] No matter what brings our difficulties, these prayers give us the opportunity to express tremendous confidence in God. Do I need to quit attending Christian activities until I can get it together again and I feel like praising God? Is he impotent to deal with the problem? And when you consider the abuse that God receives from human beings every day, creating human beings looks like a bad deal for God. It can, and arguably should, become part of our regular worship of God as we traverse the seasons of the year. In recognition that life is not always joyful, it allows us to live through the difficult times in God’s presence. A woman who cries, “How long, O Lord?” as she agonizes over an abusive relationship may not be instantly freed from her assailant. Copyright © 2005-2021 Faith And Marriage Ministries. No matter what circumstances prompted their composition, these psalms acknowledge that life can be most troublesome and that the affairs of life often make it difficult if not impossible for God’s people to express joy and sing his praises. Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. Lament is rarely given a substantial place in the church, as worship is usually equated with joy and celebration. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt 27:46; Mark 15:34; cf. This common reaction is deceptive, as it downplays our personal experience of pain and contradicts the biblical testimony of how the saints of old and the Christ responded to their troubles. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. Suffering can teach us firsthand that God truly is sufficient. And that is exactly what John said he wants to be. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. Suffering can create an opportunity for witness. God hears our prayers, cares about our situation, and will come to our aid. According to Paul, the apostles faced pressures that were so far beyond their ability to cope that they despaired of life (2 Cor 1:8; cf. Noah, the righteous and blameless man, was required to build an ark in order to rescue his family and the animals of the world from the great depravity of other people in his time. The magnificence of his worship is because it was in grief, not because it replaced grief. 2 Timothy 1:7-13 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. Do I have to “fake it” and pretend that things are OK when they’re not? David experienced the sting of sin when his adultery with Bathsheba was uncovered and when the child she bore died despite his fervent prayers. And let the rest of us weep with those who weep. 15 By no means let any of you suffer as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; 16 but if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not feel ashamed, but in that name let him glorify God” If you are asking those questions, then this Bible reading plan is for you! We have been redeemed "that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory" (Eph. The hour in which Jesus performed his greatest act of worship was marked by sorrow, suffering, and prayers of lamentation to God. Even so, our desire to experience the joy of Christ’s birth and resurrection should not deprive us of time to consider the wonder of the incarnation that brought on our Savior’s suffering. Though chosen by God, Abraham and Sarah lived a nomadic existence and felt the pain and shame of not being able to bear a son until old age. Make the choice to fill your heart with words of praise and thanksgiving for God. Suffering Reveals the Glory of God. Yet when we look at the life of Job, David, Jesus and Paul, just to name a few, we see that they all experienced great suffering and persecution, which should make us want to understand it a lot better, especially when we consider how different the outcome of their lives might have been if they had not dealt with their suffering exactly as they did. Praise God! This does not mean that the seasons should only focus on fasting and solemn thoughts. Don’t be surprised that you will suffer C you live in an imperfect world. “He is wooing you from the jaws of distress to a spacious place free from restriction, to the comfort of your table laden with choice food. Individuals who are ailing can come forward so that hands can be laid on them and prayer offered up for their healing. In Old and New Testament times laments were practiced by all people in society and were commonly led by the king and prophets, both of whom might write the dirges that would be sung (2 Sam 1:17–27; 3:33–34; 2 Chron 35:25). Pastor Lupe Garcia preaches Praise God In Your Suffering. One of God's goals for you is to make you totally dependent on him. To praise God for even the apparently bad things that happen is to trust him, and God loves trust. In many services, the prayer of absolution is followed by a hymn of praise to emphasize the joy that one should feel after being forgiven. . American King James Version ×). So God comforts us in all our afflictions. [4] In addition to the lament psalms, other biblical examples of lament include various passages in Job (especially 29–31), Jeremiah (11:18–12:6; 15:10–21; 17:12–18; 18:18–23; 20:7–18), Lamentations, and Habakkuk (1:2–4). Praise. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 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[ 7 ] Roland Murphy, “ if they persecuted me, for your perfect work you. Social disorder comes through praying prayers of confession and absolution the great physician, prayers for hope! Cry, God? ” that ’ s presence tsunamis, wildfires, and grief have redeemed!

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