Praying Through Pain: Moving From Grief to Praise a 10 - Day Plan by Kathy-Ann C. Hernandez, Ph.d.Sample

Day 10

Surrender and Praise

When we pray through painful life experiences, each of us will come to the point of surrender. As God reveals His will and purpose even in suffering, we are faced with a choice. Will we choose to surrender in complete brokenness to Him or continue to harbor resentment and hurt?

For Paul, this moment of surrender was wrapped up in his acceptance that the “thorn in his flesh,” whatever it was, would be a lifelong battle—it was not going away (2 Corinthians 12: 1-10). For David, it was accepting the death of his first son after he had asked God to spare the child’s life (2 Samuel 12: 15-23). This place of surrender is where we come to acknowledge and accept that He is God and in control.

In some of my darker moments, it has been tough for me to arrive at this place of surrender and praise. But I have come to realize as I have lived through the pain of delay or loss that choosing gratitude in the face of life challenges is not a mantra for working ourselves into delusion about our current state of affairs. Instead, it is the prescription for the cure. Praise benefits us! Expressing gratitude is one of those superpower activities that transforms our perspective as we practice it.

If you have experienced significant loss, you will know that grieving is not a “one-and-done deal.” Hence, getting through our grief will require daily and sometimes moment-by-moment commitment to live in gratitude. One of the biggest mistakes we can make is to wait until our praise is perfected to offer it up. This is like waiting until you feel better to take the medication. If we keep waiting, we will not get to the other side of the pain. We may not feel like it, but we do it anyhow.

Amid our lament and pain, we can offer our “broken hallelujahs” to God, who can take us safely through to the other side of pain. We can say, like the psalmist: “I will praise the Lord at all times” (Psalm 34: 1). Praise is the pathway to healing; it is the vehicle that can transport us out of suffering and into joy.

Reflect:

Think about a past or current life challenge. Even through that time of suffering, can you think of anything for which you can praise God?

About the Author

To learn more about Dr. Kathy-Ann Hernandez, visit her website here. To learn more about praying through the pain, please check out her Waiting by the Brook: Seven Steps to Deeper Intimacy with God book and guided journal set available on Amazon.