Praise in the Pain


Psalm 67
To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Psalm. A Song.
1May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, Selah
2that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations.
3Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!
4Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. Selah
5Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!
6The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, shall bless us.
7God shall bless us; let all the ends of the earth fear him!

I don’t know about you, but I’m finding global events to be fairly disturbing.  It seems that our lives this week have gone from the ridiculous (Pokémon) to the terrorizing (Nice, France). And even if you don’t bother to watch the news, there are most certainly circumstances in your own life that are less than ideal. Life feels a little shaky sometimes. And then we come to a Psalm like this one for today and it just doesn’t seem to fit. Why would we praise God when the world is a dangerous place and can so easily send us into fear?

But that is where my thinking is wrong. That is exactly the perfect time to praise God. In the midst of strife, pain, sorrow, and struggle praising God needs to be at the top of my “to do” list. Even when all around me are trembling, God is not. He is strong, perfect, and control of the world has not slipped out of His hands. He is still worthy of praise. In fact focusing on God rather than on my circumstances is the best, healthiest, wisest thing I could put my mind into in those moments.

The focus of this psalm is the harvest; not a harvest of grain, but a harvest of souls for His Kingdom. In the midst of strife the Gospel goes out like a soothing balm for the wounded spirits that inhabit this world. We have the answers for this pain and those answers are all found in the Lord Jesus Christ. I have every reason to praise Him, even in the midst of the storm.

Dear Lord Jesus, we are a hurting world. The hatred of others batters our spirits and causes our hearts to melt. Please, Lord Jesus, please; keep us ever mindful of Your awesome love and power and help us to share that love with our world. Send Your message out upon our lips and center our thoughts upon You rather than ourselves. May words of praise be on our lips even as we suffer evil in this world and keep us ever focused on You. In Your name I pray. Amen.

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