The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him. Exodus 15:2
When I was a little girl, I often fell asleep at the dinner table, waiting for dinner to be ready.
One evening, while I patiently waited for dinner, I fell asleep and fell out of the chair. My toe hooked into the bottom of the chair and required immediate medical attention. My mother quickly rushed me to the hospital and to console me. She started singing “Old MacDonald Had a Farm.” In between cries, I would fill in the verses by singing “E-I-E-I-O.” That is when music became a comfort to me. A traumatic experience taught me that when we are hurting and amid our pain and cries, if we focus on something that brings us joy, our pain surprisingly doesn’t seem so bad.
Jesus calls us to do the same. To turn our eyes towards Him, and He will be our comfort and strength. Whatever we face, whether physical, mental or emotional pain, Jesus wants us to bring it to Him to heal and comfort us. He promises to heal the broken-hearted and bind up their wounds. The Lord is our strength and our song. He is our salvation, and I will praise him.
I recently read a quote that said, “no one can pray and worry at the same time.” When we constantly make prayer our first response to pain in our lives, we will not have time for worry. When we bring our worries (concerns or fears) to Him and rest in His presence, He will exchange it for His peace.
I leave you with the words of an old hymn which I love to sing in the midst of my pain, and I pray that it will be your prayer when you look to Him as your source of comfort and strength:
“Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of his glory and grace.”
