God’s songs in Scripture drip with honest emotion. So we know He understands our emotional needs when we suffer; He gives us words to pray when our hearts run dry. In our pain and suffering, He even gives us moments of praise, interspersed within those tearful songs in His Word. I call these Biblical lyrics, “praise interruptions.”
In my agony when serious illness hit me 31 years ago, I needed to better understand what the Bible says is true about God, wanting to praise and trust Him, even through tears. The enemy constantly attacked me with lies about Him, as I suffered. So God knew I needed daily reminders! Who is God? What is He always like? What is the essence or character of God? How does this intersect with my own suffering? How can I endure suffering with faith, hope, peace, and joy? How can praising God for who He is and for my gospel hope help me, as I glorify Him?
I knew that, because I was “in Christ,” Jesus was praying for me, even though I didn’t always feel emotionally near. Even when I felt nothing but pain, I knew He promises:
[Jesus] is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them (Heb. 7:25 ESV, emphasis mine).
Beloved in Christ, He rescued me. As the Holy Spirit illuminated His Word in tear-stained study, He answered my despairing cries. Already near to our Father in Christ, He brought me near as I suffered. God enabled me to keep going hour after hour, specifically through moments of praise for who He is, for His unchanging character and attributes revealed in Scripture. “Praise interruptions” daily were His gift to endure, in this fallen world’s inevitable layers of suffering. What a wonder of His gracious gifts to us.
So, let’s both draw near to God today as we praise Him “into” our hard suffering together, using God’s Word of love and a beautiful hymn that helps us remember who He is…“Sing Praise to God, Who Reigns Above.”
I thirst to be near to God as I suffer
Sing praise to God, who reigns above,
the God of all creation,
the God of wonders, power, and love,
the God of our salvation!
With healing balm my soul He fills,
the God who every sorrow stills.
To God all praise and glory!
(“Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above,” Schütz, J. J., 1675)
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? (Ps. 42:2 ESV).
I cried to Him in time of need:
Lord God, O hear my calling!
For death, He gave me life indeed
and kept my feet from falling.
For this my thanks shall endless be;
O thank Him, thank our God, with me.
To God all praise and glory!
Please help me come near to You for abundant comfort
My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all the day long, “Where is your God?” (Ps. 42:3 ESV).
What God’s almighty power hath made
His gracious mercy keepeth;
by morning dawn or evening shade
His watchful eye never sleepeth;
within the kingdom of His might,
lo, all is just and all is right.
To God all praise and glory!
Please help my soul to hope in You, praising You for my salvation in Christ
Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise him, my salvation and my God (Ps. 42:5 ESV).
The Lord forsaketh not His flock,
His chosen generation;
He is their refuge and their rock,
their peace and their salvation.
As with a mother’s tender hand
He leads his own, His chosen band.
To God all praise and glory!
[Jesus says,] “I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Mt. 28:20 ESV).
Please help my soul to hope in You, as I remember I am actually near to You, through Jesus Christ
My soul is cast down within me; therefore I remember You (Ps. 42:5 ESV).
Ye who confess Christ’s holy name,
to God, give praise and glory!
Ye who the Father’s power proclaim,
to God give praise and glory!
All idols underfoot be trod,
the Lord is God! The Lord is God!
To God all praise and glory!
In Jesus Christ’s glorious name of hope, amen.
Material taken from Near to God: A Devotional Bible Study of God’s Character in Our Suffering, Lauri A. Hogle. Copyright © 2022, Singing Christ’s Hope.
A playlist to help us come near to God as we praise Him for His character
Every week, I create a YouTube playlist gift to help me and you sing with “praise interruptions” to God as we suffer. This week, we praise Him for who He is, for His unchanging character shown to us in His Word, as we also cry out to Him for help. I’m fervently praying that we’ll be able to draw near to God as we sing-pray, as we pour out our hearts to our Father, finding hope yet again. For me, His gifts of Scriptural songs carry me through the darkest hours, praising Him even through the tears. If this would bless you too, just sign up here and it will come to your email, beloved in Christ.
