Never is the heart and soul of our worship more challenged than when we are in the middle of trials and tribulations. When all hell is breaking loose in our lives and we are surrounded with chaos, the hit to our relationship with God can be significant. But this doesn’t have to be if we keep ourselves abiding in the Word and in  fellowship with God.

Trials can feel like Divine betrayal at times. Especially major tribulations such as death of loved one, job loss and marital turmoil or even separation or divorce. During these seasons of our lives, we can feel like we have been kicked in the gut and that God has looked the other way and has no clue what we are going through. When we feel betrayed by God in our trials, our worship can be replaced by accusing hearts toward God and feelings of hopelessness.

Of course, we know God has not betrayed us, but in these moments we can develop what one pastor called “spiritual amnesia”; we forget all that God has done in the past in light of our current problem. In times like these the psalmist determined to “Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness“, in Psalm 37:3.

Sometimes it’s all we can do to pick up the Bible or worship God when our spirits feel crushed and our hope seems lost, but it’s in these times that we need to do it all the more. You may have to force your flesh to open your mouth and declare the Word of God, but when you do, something amazing happens. FAITH ARISES! We begin to see above our circumstances, because God is the “lifter of our heads”, Psalm 3:3.

It doesn’t mean that the problem is going to go away overnight, but it can mean the difference between standing and faltering in our faith. Many times, I have had to choose to stand. I didn’t feel like standing. I didn’t have the strength to stand.  I didn’t even know if it was going to be worth it to stand, but I had two choices: (1) Stand (2) Lose my religion and give in to the urge to just give up and throw in the towel. When I made the choice, THEN the strength was there to stand. Don’t ask me how it happens this way, it just does.

I believe that the Holy Spirit, inside us, is the strength that keeps us standing. His grace is sufficient, although in the moment or hour or year of testing, it sure doesn’t feel like it. But then when we progress through our trial somewhat and look back……Aha! There it is! We can see the grace that has upheld us!

A favorite scripture and word from God that has upheld me through the most trying times is Isaiah 41:10:

Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

I have spoke this out in the moments when I felt betrayed and abandoned by God and in a moment, the strength of God would move me the next step forward and so on. It is our feelings that betray us but the Word and faithfulness of God never will.

No matter where you are in life right now or what you are going through, God is very present (Psalm 46:1). And there in the midst of our pain we find our worship, TRUST. Trust is the strongest expression of worship we can bring to our Father. It is in trust that we are lifted up out of our sorrow and sadness to go forward in the will that God is accomplishing in the midst of our trials. And make no mistake, the fiery trial that has come to try you is not for your destruction but for the proving of your faith which is of far more worth than gold!

Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.  1 Peter 4:12

 

May Christ be glorified in all!

Crisie