Worship During Pain and Sorrow

Discouragement and sadness are very real and heavy feelings, but for the Believer, these emotions can and should be perceived very differently. No doubt, there will be seasons of discouragement and sadness that we will all face, but as a Christian, we should respond the same way the above Psalmist did. A crucial point to notice is that the Psalmist questioned himself but then put his hope in God. Part of the problem for many is that they reverse the order. They oftentimes question God and put their hope in themselves during seasons of discouragement. How can we then worship during pain and sorrow?

First, let’s note that the Psalmist questioned himself by asking, “Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad?” It’s not that he didn’t know the reason of his sadness, rather it’s that he knew there was no reason for his sadness. Even if he had gone through a very difficult situation, this Psalmist understood that he had a genuine relationship with God and, therefore, he always had reason to hope! If we see God through the lense of our pain, problems or struggles, than we will find it very challenging to see His goodness. However, if we see our pain, problems or struggles through the lense of God, then we’ll find it tough to see why they have or could have affected us so negatively.

The second thing this Psalmist does is he places his hope in God. Placing our hope in the proper source is half of the battle. We become hopeless when our hope is misplaced. This Psalmist refused to wallow in his pity, instead he worshiped in his pain. Even though he was going through something difficult, he remembered that God is his Savior and that is enough motivation for him to worship the Lord. If we learn to respond like this Psalmist, questioning ourselves and hoping in the Lord, we will be freed from so much of the sadness and discouragement we face now and in the future.