Do you ever struggle to worship because of a painful situation in your life, when things are just so hard? 

I know I have had experiences like that in my life–when there was so much emotional and physical pain, I felt like I couldn’t even pray. I didn’t know what to say.

The Old Testament word for worship means bowing before God and recognizing His sovereignty. The New Testament word for worship also adds this connotation of adoring or blowing a kiss towards someone, saying: “I love you even though this is so hard. I still love you.”

In this video, we’re going to use Psalm 55 to walk together through the process of learning how to worship God in the midst of pain.

If you have a Bible, open to Psalm 55 so you can read along as I read aloud in the video.

Before we begin, ask yourself: “What is an area in my life where I’m experiencing pain right now?”

Prayer and Worship Prompts for Personal Reflection

As I read through Psalm 55 in this video, we’re going to take some time to pause and reflect. Between sections, I’ll invite you with some prompts to reflect on your own life in prayer and offer that area of your life to God in surrender and in worship:

• Take a moment in prayer to describe what is it that is causing you pain in your life right now. Name it specifically, and bring it to the Lord in prayer.
• Be honest with God about the emotions that you’re feeling. Do you feel anger? Betrayal? Loneliness? Fear? Are you trembling? Are you struggling with horror? Do you want to just escape and run away? Take time to open your heart and allow the Holy Spirit to reveal what is going on inside, what emotions you’re struggling with, and be honest about them.
• What is the situation that is causing you angst? Describe it to the Lord. Bring it and place it at His feet, and tell Him exactly what is going on in your life.
• What is it that you are asking God to do in this situation? Bring your petition before the Lord. Just be honest. “God, in this situation, would you act in this way on my behalf?”
• Take some time and talk to God about who He is. What truths you can remind yourself about God? What is true about God that you need to cling to right now? Remind your soul: “As for me, I will trust in Him” (Psalm 55:23).

When you have no words to say, allow Scripture to speak on your behalf in your prayers.

Your Next Step:

Some time this week, take another psalm from Scripture, a name of Jesus (such as Good Shepherd, Great High Priest, Alpha and Omega), a characteristic of God, or another passage of Scripture, and meditate on it. Allow it to guide your time in worship, using those words to express to God what you want to say to Him.

Bring your pain before God. Be honest with Him. He already knows what’s going on. And then worship Him, acknowledge who He is, that He is high and seated above everything else, and He is trustworthy, and blow a kiss toward Him. “Thank You that I can trust You even now.” He’s the only one who understands, and He welcomes you with open arms.

Scriptures to Read:

Romans 8:26; Psalm 55; Lamentations; other psalms of lament

Recommended Resources:

Prayers of REST: Learning to Pray God’s Word in a Distracted World

Quiet Time for Busy Women: 6 Weeks to Becoming Consistent in Your Daily Devotions

Walking with God: Enjoying God’s Presence from Morning to Night