June 28, 2025
Pain comes in all sorts of forms. When one considers the concept of pain, perhaps most jump to physical pain. Whether the pain is acute or chronic, we’ve all experienced physical pain to some degree. Physical pain can lead to other types of pain that we experience - be it emotional, mental, or spiritual. While we may not readily think of mental anguish or spiritual uncertainty as a type of pain – the fact that both can lead to unwanted struggles in our lives makes me think that we shouldn’t discount either as pain. Certainly, emotional pain is common. Grief over loss (whatever the loss may be), relational chaos, and unmet expectations can all lead to emotional pain.
The question for us is, what do we do in the face of pain? Not all responses to pain are healthy. Some turn inward and become deeply depressed. Some turn to substance abuse as a coping mechanism. Some choose to end their lives because the pain is so strong.
As I was reading and meditating on Psalm 92 today, the Lord put it on my heart that giving thanks and praising Him is a healthy way to acknowledge and deal with the pain in our lives. Psalm 92 begins with the following words, “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night…”
I want to suggest several reasons why what the Psalmist says is good, is actually helpful when we are dealing with pain. However, I want to be clear, while giving thanks and praising God is good and right, it doesn’t necessarily make the pain go away. Even still, in the midst of pain it is good to give thanks and to praise His name.
1. Giving thanks and praising the Most High reminds us of His perfect character. That God is the Most High means that there is nothing/no one greater than He. Throughout the Psalm, the psalmist focuses on God’s steadfast love, His faithfulness, His justice, and His perfection. All of these characteristics are both praiseworthy and reasons to give thanks. As we give thanks, we recognize that these characteristics of God are expressed to us. They are not just theoretical truths. We experience His love, His faithfulness, His justice, and we are saved by His perfection.
2. Giving thanks should also remind us that though we are facing difficulty and pain, God has granted us so many other blessings. He is truly the giver of all good gifts (James 1). The tendency in times of hardship and pain is to focus solely on the hardship and pain. Giving thanks, if done intentionally, calls us to recall God’s many blessings and to forget not His benefits (Ps 103).
3. Giving thanks to God and praising His name also helps us to get out of our own heads. We compound our pain when we meditate on it rather than meditate on God’s character and blessing. I’m not talking about the power of positive thinking. I’m talking about reminding ourselves of gospel truth. When we focus our minds on God’s character and blessings, we are taking our focus off of the temporal hardships that we are facing. Now some of you are thinking, my pain is persistent. I too know something about persistent pain. It’s no fun. But I’ll tell you what else is no fun – constantly dwelling on how bad life is. Let’s not make our situations worse by living as functional atheists (as Paul Tripp would say). Let’s remind ourselves that there is a God who is both sovereign and good. Let’s get out of our own heads.
4. Giving thanks and praising God should remind us of our future. The Psalmist writes, “The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of God (vv.12-13). While there is blessing for the righteous in this life, our ultimate blessing comes in the next. Certainly, one of the most significant things that we are grateful for is our eternal salvation. How often do we give thanks for Christ’s atoning work? Life may be difficult now, but there is coming a day when all things are made new. No more suffering. No more pain.
I’ll close with a word from Spurgeon that I read today: “If you are so depressed by your circumstances that you cannot rejoice, even though your name is written in heaven, then I think that you do not love Jesus as you should.” This brought conviction to me. How about you?