Worshipping is not the first thing we really think of when we are going through a difficult experience. But I was really struck when I was reading Job the other day, that he was told that his children were all dead, his servants were dead, and his animals were gone, and what was his response? He fell to the ground and worshipped.
I just thought, wow, I’ve got a long way to go! My first reaction to something difficult is to try to get through whatever is happening, then to try to respond rightly rather than feeling sorry for myself… but worship? That’s more what I do when I’m happy and thanking God!
But I think God is teaching me something here, because these last two weeks I have been struggling with children getting up in the night and getting a lot less sleep than usual. As a result I sleep later, then everything falls behind, and then I get stressed or discouraged because I can’t everything done.
So the other day I was struggling with feelings of tiredness and discouragement, and in my kitchen I turned my worship music on as I often do in that kind of situation. Nothing really changed though… until I started singing. Gradually I felt my mood change – my spirits started to lift, and I started to focus more on God because I was singing about Him.
Now I understand more why we are encouraged to sing:
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. Col 3:16
We often sing when things are going well, but we need to sing more when things are going badly as well! Paul and Silas sang when they were in jail.ο»Ώ Maybe we can try and follow the example of Job, of whom God Himself said that ‘there is none like him on the earth’, and respond to our difficulties not by questioning God, or by feeling down and having a pity-party as my husband loves to call it, but by worshipping God who has given us all that we ever had to start with.
Also it is not just singing, but our heart attitude – I don’t know that Job actually sang, but he worshipped God which means to bow down, to do reverence to. And then he gave that amazing speech of trust, contentment and praise:
And he said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.” In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong. Job 1:21-22
Here is the song that I was listening to when I started to sing that day, called ‘When The Tears Fall’ by Tim Hughes: a great song to help you lift your eyes off your tears and struggles and on to praising God.
Linking up with:
Thought Provoking Thursday Koinonia Thursday
Hi, this is a great post and is very important to remember that we were made to worship God, through the hard times and the good.
I’ve recently started a blog too, plus I’m a MNer. Glad to know there are other Christian women on MN out in the blogging world.
T
As I was reading this I was agreeing with you and thinking the same is true when I play music with my kids. It changes attitudes and sometimes gets things going again. I need to be playing music a lot more often.
Have a great day,
Amy @ Missional Mama
Lovely post Rhoda!
Worshipping through trials is really, really hard! What a witness when we do though! Our children watch or friends see.
As you know I am going through a silent miscarriage right now and worshipping God through this time isn’t easy. Job is such an amazing example – AMAZING! He lost everything but his wife and yet he fell to the ground in worship! I wish I could say that that was my response when I found out my baby had died. God did bring me to a place of worship though as He reminded me of all He is. God knows what He is doing – He has a purpose and a plan… I’m trusting Him in whatever that is. Blessed be His name.
Hi Tracie, thanks for commenting – I am glad to see another Christian blogging MNer too π
Yes Amy, music is amazing! One day my 6 yr old woke up on the grumpy side of bed and I started playing Happy Day just for him, and he actually cheered up as a result π
Thank you Tamsyn, it is really hard to worship through trials. I am only beginning to even think about it this week really, and have such a long way to go! You are doing great in trusting God, and I will continue to pray for you.
Worshipping during the trials is so unnatural, and yet when we do, it allows God’s supernatural power to work in and through us. I love the story of Paul and Silas and how their worship not only set them free, but everyone else in the jail, and even brought the jailer and his entire family to the Lord.
Praising Him in the storm…
Great post!
Beautiful post, Rhoda. Singing brings me to the heart of worship every time–and I’m not a very good singer! This has been on my mind, too…
Hoping your nights turn around soon but you continue to worship as if they haven’t π
To God be the glory!
~nikki
Hi. I found you through GMG. π
I have a link up on Fridays called Brag on God Friday (@ http://www.BeholdingGlory.com). I would love for you to consider linking up.
Oh what perfect timing that I came across this blog today! My scheduled post for tomorrow is about learning to praise God through trials!!! What confirmation! I totally agree about music. It’s amazing the power it has to transform us! I recently started singing songs to my children when they are being disobedient to get them to listen and it’s amazing the immediate change it brings! Thank you for such encouragement!
This. Song. Spoke. To. Me.
Thank you for sharing. Yes, praising him through the tears, I’ve done a lot of that these past few months.
As always, thanks, too, for linking up and sharing in the Koinonia Community! You are a blessing! π
Stacy, I think that is really true, a bit like when you do something nice for someone that you’re mad at. It is unnatural, but God works through it to change us. Thanks for visiting π
Nikki, yes I need to sing more, not just listen to music! Thanks I am also hoping they turn around, but using it as an opportunity to practice worshipping if not!
Laura, thanks for visiting π I hadn’t previously linked up because I wasn’t sure that my posts met your topic well enough but I have linked up since you mentioned it:)
Thank you for visiting 3 little arrows – I look forward to reading your post!
Hi Chelsey I’m so glad that song ministered to you – it is really powerful. You might also like the song that Tamsyn has in her blog post if you haven’t already heard it – MercyMe ‘Bring the Rain’. Thanks for the fellowship π
i love your post! thanks for sharing…loves soraya