WEEK TWO: PRAISE THROUGH PAIN

Pain is inevitable. Ouch! We all know this is true. We must acknowledge it, but none of us loves the fact that we will face pain. Some of our pain is self-inflicted, some is caused by others, and some is accidental. But regardless of how it comes about, every one of us will experience pain.

When my youngest son was diagnosed with a brain tumor at the age of nine, I think I experienced the deepest and hardest pain I have ever experienced. I have had any number of injuries due to sports and other situations. I have been turned on by people I thought had my back. I had lost my dad at the age of 56. But none of that came close to what I felt when we got that diagnosis. There was a darkness about this pain that exceeded anything I had felt to that point.

There was the mental pain of having to come to terms with what could be the ultimate outcome from this. There was the emotional pain of a parent for their child. There was even a physical pain—I felt as if I had just been gut-punched. But the worst was the spiritual pain that I felt in that moment. Even though I was serving God and in ministry, it felt like God had abandoned me. I felt alone. I was angry and I was ready for a hard conversation with God. But the best part of all of this was that God was ready to have a conversation with me too… and he wasn’t taken aback by the fact that I had doubts, that I had questions, and that I was angry and confused. God allowed me to share my thoughts, to cry out my anguish, and to tell him exactly how I felt. What I got in turn was an overwhelming feeling of love and care that said, “I’ve never left, I’m right here, but will you trust me with your most prized possession?” I had a decision to make: trust God and hope in him, or walk away.

In those kinds of moments, we can either turn away or turn toward God. As our loving heavenly father, God invites us in close and listens to whatever may come out of our hearts and our mouths in these times. Then without judgment or condemnation, he simply asks, “will you trust me?”

So, what should we do when we come to this crossroads? Start by turning toward God. Be honest with God. He already knows what you are feeling, so don’t be afraid to bring your complaint, situation, or pain to him. Then boldly ask for help. Because it is in that moment that God reaches out in his love and overwhelms us with his mercy and peace.

When we bring these things to God—when we lament—we are not giving up in despair but choosing to believe in God’s goodness, even when life feels too heavy to bear. Let’s turn our cries into prayers that remind us of God’s faithfulness and draw us closer to him.