Finding Hope in the Lord Through Praise and Worship
There comes a time in all of our lives when we struggle to worship. Why? Because we all experience worship with our emotions and because of that we tend to rely on our emotions to help us “feel like” worshipping, which is not a correct perspective of why we worship. When you’re struggling to find hope in the Lord, praise and worship are exactly what you need.
Remember, worship is a spiritual experience and exists outside of our natural, physical experience and worship is about the Lord, not about ourselves. Even so, everyone struggles to worship when they don’t feel like it and making themselves an open target for the enemy because he knows its a source of great strength for the believer.
Psalm 13:1-2 says, “How long, O Lord? Will You forget me for good? How long will you hide Your face from me? How long will I harbor cares in my soul and sorrow in my heart by day?”
Plenty of people face the same struggle- even heroes in the faith! Everyone struggles with anger and disappointment with God, and issues from the past. Everyone struggles with emotions toward what they thought their lives should have been, with dreams that don’t come true, with people who mistreat them and devastative situations in life.
You can find hope in the Lord when all hope is lost. You can joy amid sorrow. You can have joy even when you’re not happy. You can have the strength that comes with the joy of the Lord. (Psalm 16:11, Neh. 8:10)
Hope in the Lord Even When Lamentations are Your Praise
David, the most famous worshipper in Christian history, struggled to “feel” like worshipping. When you’re having a “natural” reaction to natural circumstances, it can feel hard to get into a place of spiritual operation to renew your hope in the Lord. But here is how David found hope in the Lord in his darkest moments: He worshipped anyway.
That self-denial and sacrifice in your worship is one of the most powerful spiritual weapons you have, but so many believers don’t go that far because they get lost in the hurricane of in their feelings.
Our relationship with the Lord experiences seasons of strength and weakness not because God is more distant or closer, but because we intentionally draw closer or or unintentionally drift depart.
~Alicia Purdy
Psalm 147:11 says, “The Lord delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in His unfailing love.” (MEV)
Proverbs 23:28 says, “There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.” (MEV)
Paul wrote, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer.” (Romans 12:12)
Here’s a challenging thought: If you truly believed that your worship and ministry to the Lord would change things- no force on heaven and earth could stop you! If you had a guarantee that pray would hand you victory 100% of the time, you’d never do anything else!
But the truth is this: You have to be willing to recognize that your hope in the Lord may have waned, that you need to working on growing strong in your faith in Him again. If your faith needs strengthening, the Word of God, time in prayer and a lifestyle of praise are the way to win! It is not a sin to lament, or to feel disappointment with God or to struggle in worship.
Thought for today: Worship Keeps Your Hope in the Lord
The nation of Israel hung their “harp in the willow tree” because they’d given up. They’d lost their song. They didn’t “feel like” worshipping anymore because their sinful and rebellious actions had led them into captivity. Everyone makes choices that drive them into a place where they feel trapped, isolated and alone- and then they lose their song, or feel like they have nothing to sing about in praise. That is when your hope in the Lord is the most vulnerable and when you need it the most.
When things start to feel impossible, when the enemy comes in like a flood against you, it is easy to lose hope in the Lord. Like the Israelites did, you hang your harp in the willow tree and stop worshipping- when worship is what will make you strong! David said this, “Psalm 13:1-2 says, “How long, O Lord? Will You forget me for good? How long will you hide Your face from me? How long will I harbor cares in my soul and sorrow in my heart by day?”
But that’s not how David left things. In fact, in the same breath, he worshipped the Lord saying, “I, for my part, confide in Your kindness; may my heart exult in Your salvation! I will sing to the Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me.” (Psalm 13:5-6)
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13) Remember, hard times come to everyone, but you are a person of faith. That means you choose to put your hope in the Lord and it is what you do through those tough experiences that determines if you’re a victim or a victor in Christ!
The Sacrifice of Praise Will Strengthen Your Faith!
“4 Victories You’ll Win Through Spiritual Warfare in Worship”
“5 Deadly Qualities of a Living Sacrifice to God”
Don’t forget to pick up a copy of The Way of the Worshipper on Amazon – and AVAILABLE NOW you can also purchase The Way of the Worshipper: A Devotional Workbook for deeper study, personal examination and spiritual growth!
