There’s nothing like 8 hours of worship music and quiet reflection, to clear your mind and help you realign with God. My family went on a long road trip this week, and it was just what I needed. I often talk to God while driving and get clarity on my trials and questions.  

On this particular day, the theme was praise. I was reminded how important praise is, especially in seasons of confusion, delay, and setbacks – of which I am currently in.

We are in the process of uprooting our entire lives, and moving 1000 miles away. At first, I thought that God had his hand on this situation. I’d encountered signs that I thought were encouragement and direction, and it seemed to be the right direction for our family. I can see a sparkle in my son’s eyes that I haven’t seen for over a year… Yet, just when we should be excited about building and planning in our new home, we keep discovering more problems with the house and the property and now our move-in date is being delayed by several months. On top of that, we are on a tight timeline with school starting soon, and we simply have to get there regardless of the situation with the property, which means staying with relatives indefinitely and just hoping that everything works out. And if that weren’t enough, me and my husband are both out of work. We’ve spent most of our savings on this property and have no income until we both get jobs in this new place. The night before we left on our trip, I had a breakdown and spent most of the night crying. I couldn’t help but wonder if God really was with me. Did I misinterpret something, or was I just going my own way? Was He even aligned with this move in the first place?

I was honestly in a dismal mood the next morning as we packed up the vehicles and began driving on the first day, but I decided to listen to some worship music anyway. Worshipping is sometimes like going to the gym. Sometimes you just don’t feel like it. You’d rather lay down and feel sorry for yourself, but if you push yourself to do it, you always feel so much better, and are glad you did it. This was one of those times.

Something I heard on the radio, reminded me about the story of Paul and Silas praising in the prison and freeing the prisoners. They’d been stripped and beaten with rods, by a whole crowd of people. They were placed in an inner cell, with their feet in stocks. I could see them in that prison cell; beaten, bruised, probably dressed in torn, dirty rags… but instead of wallowing in sorrow (which would have been completely reasonable), they decided to pray and sing praises to God. They seemed to be completely unbothered by the situation. And then suddenly, the earth began to shake and the prison doors flew open. Not only were they freed, but every prisoner was freed, and then they were cleaned and fed and had the opportunity to preach the Gospel to the prison guards (Acts 16:19-34).

I was also reminded that His grace and salvation are really enough. We can get a little too focused on our problems at times and forget how temporal this life is. We forget that we’ve already been given a gift beyond value – the ultimate sacrifice that He made for us, which conquered death and gave us hope and a future after this life. Even if nothing I’ve ever wanted out of this life ever comes true, I can be content with that. I honestly could see myself doing the same thing as Paul and Silas. Praising God from a prison cell, thinking ‘this place has no power over me’. Much of what happens to me here on this Earth, doesn’t even matter through the lens of eternity.

Now, that doesn’t diminish the problems and the struggles we go through, or the feelings that come with them. We all have some very real problems that simply need to be resolved – but it does put them in perspective. When you know the God of the Universe is standing with you and fighting for you; the fear, worry, and distress of the moment diminishes significantly. You can more easily look beyond the immediate, and just trust that He will come through. As the song goes, we can praise Him, “no matter what comes” (Crowder, “Good God Almighty”).

In the thick of it, we can focus on what we already know… We know that there’s purpose in His plan. We know that He works all things for our good. We know He shows up when we need Him. We know His promises are true. You know God loves you more than you can even fathom, and therefore wants what’s best for you and will see it to the end, and stand with you in the valley. So, you can feel that hurt, that worry, that stress – but after it comes, allow it to go. Then get back to focusing on the One with the solutions. Remember who God is and get back to praise and worship.

I began to think about all the things I’m thankful for; all the ways that God has blessed me already, and shown up for me when I needed Him most. He really has been there every time and yet somehow I still doubt, nearly every time something big comes up. We sing about His faithfulness and His worthiness for praise, but how soon we forget: how worthy and faithful He really is. We pray that His will be done, but as soon as we get uncomfortable our faith crumbles. Accepting His will above our own, means that sometimes we might suffer discomfort, loss, and change – because sometimes that’s needed to draw us closer to Him or for Him to answer a prayer. Instead of being focused on the pain, we should be focused on the growth (the healing, the new level of strength and faith), knowing that He has already won every battle for us.

When you begin to understand this principle, it changes your mindset, and there is freedom and victory in that – even if nothing changes right away. And consequently, many times when our mindset changes, that thing that was upsetting us, just resolves itself and melts away. The devil can throw His worst at you, and it won’t even phase you. You begin to recognize his schemes and lies right away. You remember that God has your back no matter what. He wants the best possible outcome for you, for you to be blessed abundantly, and He is sovereign Lord over all. He has all the power to solve every problem. There is nothing to fear, nothing to desire. God has it all, everything we could ever want or need, and if we only remain faithful, we will realize the tangible truth of that. Everything with God, comes by faith. Even His greatest gift to us, our salvation – is available to us only because we have faith in Him. He delivered us from Hell when we were sinners and haters, or didn’t even know Him. How much more will He save us when we love Him and call out for help?

Even if you’re only standing on a promise, and you can’t see any victory yet. Maybe you can’t even see a glimmer of hope yet… But so were Paul and Silas. So were the Israelites many times; in the desert when they were dying of thirst and hunger, when they were wandering for 40 years, waiting to be shown a so-called ‘promised land’. They didn’t know what was going to happen. Their faith even wavered many times, but they believed in His promise. And God showed up, again and again. In fact, so was I, many times when I thought there was no way out. But God showed up. Every time.

As I reflected on all of this, I wondered if I was approaching this problem wrong. Often, when I’m faced with difficulty, I ask God, why me? Am I being punished? Where are You? How can I get out of this? Or even, Please fix this. But all of these questions, come from a position of defeat and desperation. And I don’t often get answers. It’s when I get over my feelings, and come back to Him in faith or even just curiosity – that is when I get more clarity.

When you remember that there is purpose in your challenges, you begin to look at every problem from a position of faith, authority, and victory – and then your prayers and questions will change (and I think there is something about asking God the right questions, perhaps it proves our faith?). So instead, I get calm. I get quiet. The Holy Spirit is upon me after all that worship and I start praying: How can I build Your kingdom in this? How can I be more aligned with you? Why am I being positioned here? Where can I make the most impact?

Then, my mind is suddenly flooded with the answers; I see the faces of people I can pray with. Lives that I can touch with the Gospel. People I can make amends with. An opportunity to find a new church for my family. Opportunities for my own personal healing… The questions might be similar for you, but the situation and the answers will be different.

And maybe I’ve prayed this way before but didn’t get an answer right away. If that’s you, don’t be discouraged by that. Sometimes there is purpose even in the silence. I think that sometimes He wants to see what we will do when we think He’s not around. God is searching our hearts and continually testing our faith, because that’s what helps us grow. The key is to remain faithful. Continue to pray and continue to praise. Praise Him in the waiting. Praise Him in the stillness. Praise Him in the valley, the prison cell, and the darkness. He hears you. And He will reveal what you need, when you need it.

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