Pray & Be Thankful when Life Gets Hard

When life gets hard, turn to prayer and be thankful. You will see God transform your weariness into His strength.

When life gets hard, the last thing we usually think of doing is to pray or be thankful!

I know that can be so true about myself!

I am usually strategizing and overthinking the issues in my life and trying to find answers.

But . . .

Where is God in all of this?

Recently, my husband I were returning from a wonderful day in a quaint little town along Lake Superior. It was a beautiful day that couldn’t have been more perfect.

UNTIL . . .

We got a call from our DIL saying that our son would be going to Kabul, Afghanistan to help American and Afghan civilians escape the horrific takeover of the Taliban!

Suddenly the day turned gray even though there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and I felt so weary!

But in the moments and days that followed, peace entered into my heart, soul, and body that can only be explained in one word. God.

You might not have a son or daughter who was sent to Afghanistan for this devastating moment in history. You might have other issues draining you of the victory God wants you to have when life is hard.

Why am I not doing what David did and praising God right from the start?

Today, I am sharing what I found to give me strength when life gets hard.

If you’re really struggling with something in your life, these twenty articles will turn your Weariness to Strength.

We are looking at Psalm 9:1-12 and following the readings in a chart that you may DOWNLOAD the Worry Scripture Memory Cards!

How David Starts Psalm 9

When David sat down to pen this psalm, I am sure that his problem already existed. Yet he starts by giving praise to God with his whole heart.

David . . .

Praised God
Used his whole heart to give praise
Told of all God’s marvelous works
He was glad
He rejoiced
He sang to the Most High

This is something I am going to work harder on by talking to God about what makes me weary right from the moment life gets to me.

There is such strength to be found when we pray about what gets to us throughout our day. You will find this to be true too!

When Life Gets Hard

The next two sections of this psalm are written in two sets of seven lines each.

I just looked into this briefly and it is called parralism when used in poetry. So interesting but I am digressing!!

In these two sections, David shares how his enemies are getting to him. He describes how they are turned back and fall in the presence of God. He goes on to tell about how God triumphs over his enemies.

You may not have ‘enemies’ that you are fighting with and you may not think of them as actual enemies.

BUT . . . You may have . . .

Relationship issues with your husband
Issues because of a divorce
Issues with your young children
A rebellious teenager
Relationship issues with adult children
Financial stress
Health issues
Fill in this blank _________

These issues are like enemies to our spiritual and even our physical well being. They can wreak havoc on us emotionally.

God knew we would need encouragement and He gives that to us through what David wrote in this chapter in Psalms.

How To Deal with Life When it Gets Hard

Don’t you love how Psalm 9 ends?

The last 8 lines are two sections of 4 lines each.

They describe how to deal with life when it gets hard.

Here’s How: Psalm 9:9-12

The LORD is your refuge when you’re oppressed – Hide in Him!
God is your refuge in times of trouble – pray and be thankful!
Put your trust in God – He is ‘there’ for all that know His name!
God does NOT forsake you – Seek God and He will NOT forsake you!
Sing praises to God – At home, in your car and not only at church!
Declare His deeds to others – Don’t be silent about what God has done for you!
God does NOT forget the cry of the humble – God loves it when you are humble!

When life gets hard, I ‘live’ in the Psalms. So much of the Psalms are so encouraging through times that are difficult in life.

Psalms is where I ‘camped out’ while my son was in Afghanistan. I frequently was awake in the night wondering if he’s ever come home. I prayed in the night. Then I heard that he flew to a nearby country. My heart rejoiced.

BUT . . .

My heart goes out to the spouses and parents who will never see their son, daughter, or husband again on this earth. They bravely gave their life for the freedom of others trapped outside the airport in this disasterous situation.

God is in control and God is good.

He can show Himself strong in your sitation too!

When you are weary of your life and just don’t know where you will get strength from to get through your day, turn to the Lord in the Psalms and see what He has to say to you!

Your weariness will be turned to strength as you rest in the Lord Jesus Christ.

When life gets hard, do you turn to Jesus for strength like David did in Psalm 9? How have you seen God turning your weariness into strength through this study?

Pray & Be Thankful when Life Gets Hard