When terrible things happen, when we lose everything we have, when our loved ones are gone—God is still with us. Because of the sin and brokenness in our world, suffering exists.
Our Father has never promised us a life without sorrow, nor has He ever promised a life without loss or pain, but He has promised to be with us through everything we are required to endure. His love is everlasting and His peace is promised to us. It is a peace that the world simply cannot understand—a peace that allows us to praise Him even in the midst of pain.
Finding Praise Amidst Sorrow (Psalm 147)
Psalm 147 begins by telling us that it is good to sing praises to our God. Sometimes it may be hard for us to think of anything to praise Him for. In our great sadness we cry out, sometimes without words, not knowing what to say, needing and wanting to be comforted by Him. We have a choice to make when we experience pain and loss—do we trust God's loving character or do we blame Him?
God Heals the Broken Hearted (Psalm 147:3)
In Psalm 147:3, the psalmist tells us:
"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their sorrow."
We know that this healing and binding are supernatural. We know it is only the Holy Spirit who can do this. He works in us, in our prayers, and in the prayers of those around us to do this. We can praise Him for this promise of healing our broken hearts.
God's Nearness in Suffering (Psalm 34:17-18)
He is especially near to those who are suffering. Psalm 34:17 tells us that God hears the cries of the righteous and delivers them. Psalm 34:18 continues to say:
"The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves the crushed in spirit."
Trusting God's Plan (Isaiah 41:10)
Isaiah 41:10 reminds us that we are not to fear because, no matter our circumstances, He is with us. He promises to strengthen us, help us, and uphold us. It may seem impossible, but only when we rely on Him and not ourselves will we feel His nearness. This cannot happen if we don't fully trust God.
It is normal during bad times to be tempted to blame God for our suffering. However, suffering exists because we live in a fallen world. To trust God doesn't mean that we ignore our very real pain. We need to give that pain, that terrible burden, to God. We have to trust that, in our suffering, we will grow closer to Him. Suffering helps us examine our hearts and deepen our relationship with Him. We know that He loves us so much He sent His Son to die for us.
Finding Hope and Peace in God Amidst Suffering and Loss (Romans 5:1-5)
Paul speaks of finding hope and peace in God amidst suffering and loss in Romans 5:1-5. The passage is often described as "Faith Triumphs in Trouble." In it, Paul tells us that because our faith has justified us, we can have peace and rejoice in the glory of God. In Romans 5:3, Paul says, "Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance," (ESV). He then says that endurance produces character and character produces hope. This is a hope, Paul tells us, that does not disappoint because God pours his love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. The suffering and trials we experience build endurance, which then shapes our character and leads to hope. Our hope is not in what we have done, but in what the Holy Spirit has done. We do not find joy in the suffering itself, of course, but we can find joy in what it produces within us.
Just as hope is born out of suffering, praise becomes an act of faith when everything seems lost. We can choose to praise God. This leads us to the importance of praising God even in the midst of our sorrow.
Praising God When All Seems Lost (Psalm 22)
How do we praise God when our world has collapsed around us? Psalm 22 is a prophecy concerning our Messiah, Jesus. In Psalm 22:3, it says, "But You are holy,
enthroned in the praises of Israel" (NKJV). We often hear this verse explained this way, "God inhabits the praises of His people." We can choose to praise Him because, as Lamentations 3:24 tells us, “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him."
Jesus, Our Model of Suffering and Trust
Jesus was a "man of sorrows and acquainted with grief" Isaiah 53:3 tells us. He truly understands us when we are at our lowest. In the midst of Jesus's suffering, He placed absolute trust in God's plan, knowing that God was holy and worthy of praise. He knew that He would be delivered (Psalm 22:4-6). We have an eternal hope in Christ—this is a promise from God. We may not see our deliverance on this earth, but we will see it. God has promised. If even our Savior found strength in trusting God’s plan during His greatest suffering, how much more do we need to rely on prayer and praise to draw near to our Father in our own trials.
The Power of Prayer and Praise
Pray, pray from the heart. Pray for yourself and pray for others who may also be experiencing great loss. Praise Him for your salvation, for the beauty of His creation, for the small things that are blessings that we may not have appreciated before. Praise Him because He is in control and that He has a plan. We may not understand that plan. We may not be able to see it, but if we are His obedient servants it is there.
God’s Compassion for Our Tears (2 Kings 20:5; Psalm 56:8)
In 2 Kings 20:5, God says that He has heard King Hezekiah's prayer and seen his tears. This applies to us today as well. In Psalm 56:8, David tells us this of God:
"You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book." (NLT)
This is figurative language, indicating that God cares for us so much that He knows our sorrows and sees our tears. You may be wondering, "Where is God in all of this?"
The answer is that He is by your side, watching you, loving you, just waiting for you to praise Him in the midst of your sorrow. He is waiting for you to realize that you have absolutely not been abandoned. Not only does God care for each of our tears, but He also sees the depths of our struggles. As Hagar experienced, He is a God who sees and meets us right where we are.
The God Who Sees Us (Genesis 16)
In Genesis 16, we read the story of Hagar. Hagar was an Egyptian maidservant of Abraham (Abram) and Sarah (Sarai). Sarah treated Hagar, who was pregnant with Abraham's child, very harshly, so she fled to the wilderness. There the Angel of the Lord appeared to her. This was how Jesus appeared to people in the Old Testament. He told her to return to Sarah and that she would have many descendants. Hagar called the Angel of the Lord the God who sees. God saw her, a lowly servant, and cared enough to watch over her, promising that she would be blessed. When we feel that our sadness is not seen by God, we are mistaken. He does see us, as a loving Father would.
Peace in the Midst of Anxiety (Philippians 4:6-7)
Sometimes, in the midst of tragedy, we have so much anxiety about the unknowns. What are we going to do? How will we survive? How can I ever have peace again? But God is the one who promises us a peace that passes understanding. Philippians 4:6 tells us not to be anxious but to bring everything to God in prayer with thanksgiving. This peace that is beyond human understanding will guard our hearts and minds (Philippians 4:7). If we ask for that peace, believing that He can and will provide it for us, it can be ours. When anxiety overwhelms us, God’s peace can calm our minds. In the depths of mourning, we need a deep comfort—the comfort that only Christ, who experienced sorrow Himself, can provide.
Jesus, Our Comforter in Mourning (Matthew 5:4; Isaiah 61:3)
There is one who "sticks closer than a brother" (Proverbs 18:24). One who can be a blessing to you. That One is Jesus. This same Jesus who was a "man of sorrows." As Jesus said in Matthew 5:4, those who mourn are blessed. Isaiah 61:3 tells us that Jesus wants to bring consolation to those who mourn, beauty for ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. We need to trust His promises, and believe He is faithful, to be blessed.
God’s Tenderness Towards the Brokenhearted (Zephaniah 3:17)
Zephaniah 3:17 explains that God will quiet us with His love. When we are distraught, anxious, and close to the breaking point, what a comfort it is to know that God Himself will "quiet us with His love." Praise God for His consolation here and praise Him for our eternal consolation in Heaven. How tender our Father is. How close to the brokenhearted.
Dear Father,
We pray that you would be a consolation and a hope for those grieving loss, suffering and troubled in spirit. We praise you for your love and faithfulness. We pray that you would give peace to all those in need. We thank you for the example your Son Jesus gave us.
We pray this in His name, Amen
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