Praise Him
When the Soul Turns to God in Trial
“I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
I will tell of all Your wonderful deeds.
I will be glad and exult in You,
I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.” Psalm 9:1-2
Recently, I reached out to a close friend with a text in a particularly difficult situation. “Please pray for me. For peace.” I asked. After briefly outlining my situation, she responded: “God be praised. Praise Him, girl. Now is when it counts the most.”
This well-timed reminder turned everything around. Praise Him. In everything, the answer is always to praise Him. Particularly in trial and suffering, when the enemy of our soul tempts us toward frustration and resistance to the cross, there is tremendous power in turning our hearts heavenward in praise. God, who is perfect goodness, does not need or benefit from our praise. It is our hearts—so often cramped and closed—that need dilation. When we praise Him, our hearts are enlarged for our sanctification.
From Lament to Praise with the Psalms
It is for this reason that my soul has been drawn to the Psalms, and I’ve been saved by them over and over in trials. The Psalmist is clearly enduring life-threatening, soul-crushing trials. His songs are often laments of these tribulations, holding back nothing when describing his interior agony. And yet there is something remarkable to note in each case. With only one exception (Psalm 88), every Psalm that begins with a plea to God in suffering turns into an exultation of praise. This example points us to the simple truth: God is always good and always worthy of our praise. When we remember this and turn our whole selves to this truth in suffering, something begins to shift within our hearts.
The Hidden Wisdom of God
Reflecting on Psalm 9:1, Augustine says,
but he who sees already the hidden things of the wisdom of God, how great is His invisible reward, who saith, “We rejoice in tribulations;” and how all torments, which are inflicted on the body, are either for the exercising of those that are converted to God, or for warning that they be converted, or for just preparation of the obdurate unto their last damnation…
With great confidence in the providence of God, we can endure all trials with great joy and praise on our lips. By seeing the hidden wisdom of God, we can accept all trials as part of His plan for us. When we reject His purifying work and continually flee the conversion He offers through suffering, we risk hardening our hearts against grace.
Trust that Praises
But for those of us who love God and are called according to His purpose (Rom. 8:28) we can be assured that God works all things together for our good. And with this knowledge and trust, we can praise the God who is purifying us and making us more like Christ in our sufferings.
When we praise God in our trials, the devil flees. When he sees that he cannot tempt a suffering heart to sin or despair, he loses his hold. And the God who loves us receives this beautiful praise offered by a pure heart and provides every grace and strength to see us through our trial. What the enemy means for our destruction can be turned into glory; we need only remember to praise Him.