The Healing Touch: Worshiping Through Pain

I wrote a song a few months ago called "YHWH" (Yahweh). This word is the ancient name of God, and it is said to be the sound of breathing. The "Yah" is the inhale, and the "weh" is the exhale. The incredible thing about this is that every time we breathe, whether we believe in God or not, we are actually saying the name of God. I wrote this song at a very low point when the only thing I could do was worship through the pain. While writing the song, I sat on my bedroom floor with tears streaming down my face. In talking to God about my struggles, I heard this response from Him. He said to me, "Just breathe. Hear my name in your breath. If you can call out my name, I'm not finished with you, yet". This became the chorus to my song.

You see, there is something so powerful about worshipping through our struggles. Worshipping through the hard times does something incredible; it takes our focus from the problem to the problem solver. Worship takes us from a posture of panic to a posture of surrender. For me, I've noticed more and more how my heart longs for time with the Lord when I'm in pain. I believe once you've tasted the joy of the Lord, nothing else in this world compares.

Our time on earth is the only time in all of eternity that we have the CHOICE to worship. When we reach heaven, we will no longer have pain. We will be able to see the beauty of Jesus for all that He is. As a result, our natural response will be to worship. Our tears will be wiped away, and we will join with all the angels in singing "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty". Right now is our only chance to worship God in our pain. This side of eternity is our only opportunity to actively choose to worship.

However, perhaps you are reading this, and you are dealing with a pain so intense that you can't seem to see your way through it. I want to encourage you to look at the story of the woman who bled for 12 years in Luke 8. Verses 43 and 44 read, "Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years; and though she had spent all she had on physicians, no one could cure her. She came up behind Jesus and touched the fringe of his clothes, and immediately her hemorrhage stopped." Can you imagine the pain? Her entire life was likely spent with people staring at her in disgust and darting around her to avoid possible contact with her. She visited doctor after doctor, and not a single one could help her. She lived in constant isolation and was known by everyone as being "unclean". Her life was a continual existence of physical and emotional pain.

Yet, this woman bet all she had on Jesus. Despite her pain, she had faith. Take a look at Jesus's response. He meets her where she is at, or rather, she meets Him. Instead of being disgusted or looking at her in shame, he extends grace and perfect healing. Jesus calls her daughter, accepts her, and grants her a peace she has yet to experience in all of her life. Many of us are in need of healing. We have been the outcasts or have been alone in our struggles. We are in need of the gracious touch of God. This story isn't telling us that we will always be healed or our problems will be solved. Rather, it shows us the beauty of reaching out to Jesus in times of suffering and loneliness.

We can worship because of how God reveals Himself to us. Our worship is our reflection of God back to Him. When we worship, we get to dwell in the presence of God. Faith allows us to worship the Lord through sickness, heartache, and trials. Just as the bleeding women experienced the touch of God, we too, are able to extend our hands and receive that touch. When we do, we receive the gift of peace and truth that we are loved and intimately known by Him.

Rick Warren said, "The deepest level of worship is praising God in spite of pain, thanking God during trials, surrendering while suffering, and loving Him when He seems distant." When we worship despite pain, we exhibit a deep act of faith and trust in our Savior. This means acknowledging our pain and the situation we are in, while still choosing to praise the Lord because of His goodness and faithfulness to us. In pain, worship is a powerful declaration of our trust in God beyond our circumstances. Psalms 56:8 says, "You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book." Our struggles are not in vain, and they are never out of God's sight. Sometimes our tears can be prayers too, so take comfort that we are never out of God's sight. Worshipping through our pain is an incredible act of surrender that allows us to find hope and comfort in His unfailing love. What a beautiful gift it is to be able to choose Jesus when all we feel is pain!

May your roots run deep, and your faith remain strong! As always, Stay Rooted, my friends! <3