
For this Thanksgiving week, I am reposting what I wrote on lamenting praise two years ago. I have many friends who have had sudden loss in their lives and pray that this encourages their hearts and yours this Thanksgiving. I watched as hundreds of birds flew from behind a sun-tipped cloud. It was as though they had been waiting backstage behind the curtain, and came out to perform. They first seemed to be scrambling to find their places—like tiny ballerinas in the Nutcracker escaping from under the massive skirt. They quickly fell in line and formed a magnificent ribbon that spanned the sky as far as I could see—with their “stage” lit up by the brilliant orange and purple paint strokes of the sunrise. I threw back my head like a five-year-old watching them dance over me until they were tiny pinpoints in the distant sky. That early morning scene seemed to shout, “Judy, I see you!” as I began my weekend getaway with God in the Colorado mountains. My life had been hit with storms that included serious health issues for some of my loved ones and broken relationship issues with others. I was reeling, and knew I needed to seek His face like never before. My original plan was to get some answers about suffering as I sought His voice and heart through the Scriptures. I was wrestling with some deep questions and hoped to gain a better understanding about the “why” behind the pain. But God had different plans that weekend. While dwelling in the songs of lament that David wrote, I noticed that he often turned to praise, even in the midst of his anguish and suffering. This sacrifice of praise is beautifully displayed in Psalm 13:1–2, 5–6 where David first cries out with heart-wrenching “How long, Lord?” questions, and then ends in worship and praise: “How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me.” Through that psalm, God whispered to my heart, “Judy, can you thank Me even in the midst of your deep sorrow right now?…
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