Blessed Be the Name of the Lord by Claudia Hines, Adora del Altisimo
There are seasons in life when everything feels like it is falling apart at once. The kind of seasons where you wake up every morning and wonder how much more you can possibly handle.
I have walked through some very hard trials in my life. Miscarriage. Separation. Being jobless. Days of wondering how I was going to put gas in the car or buy groceries for the kids. Betrayal. Loneliness. Fear. Loss. Looking at an empty bank account and wondering how I was going to pay the mortgage.
I remember the racing thoughts that went through my mind. Wondering how I was going to make it to work with no gas in the car. Wondering what I was going to eat that day. Nights filled with tears, fear and loneliness.
But through every single trial, Abba was faithful.
Not always in the time frame I wanted.
Not always in the way I expected.
But He never abandoned me.
Looking back now, I can see God’s hand carrying me through. The strangers that came along with food and household supplies, the unexplained bank deposits, side jobs that were offered to me, and most importantly the prayers and encouragement of those that stood by me. Often the provision would come at the very last minute, in unexpected ways. Sometimes I just needed to be still and pray that Abba Father would give me the strength to get through the day.
Everyday He showed Himself as my Father (Abba), my Provider (Jehovah-Jireh), my Deliverer (Jehovah Mephalti), and He gave me peace (Jehova-Rapha) when everything around me was uncertain and unknown.
Suffering changes the way you read Scripture. As I read through the book of Job, I see it in a very personal way. Now Scripture comes alive for me and I can clearly hear the voice of my Father guiding and directing me.
Satan Attacks What God Blesses
In Job chapter 1, the Bible describes Job as a righteous man who feared God and avoided evil. God had blessed him abundantly. Scripture says there was a hedge of protection around him.
“You’ve put a protective hedge around him, his house and everything he has. You’ve prospered his work, and his livestock are spread out all over the land.”
(Job 1:10, CJB)
Satan accused Job before God and claimed Job only served God because God had blessed him.
“But if you reach out your hand and touch whatever he has, without doubt he’ll curse you to your face!
(Job 1:11, CJB)
This is still how the enemy works today in our lives. Satan is called “the accuser of our brethren” in Revelation 12:10. He is constantly accusing, attacking, lying and trying to destroy our faith. He tells God:
“They only worship You because life is good.”
“She only trusts You because her needs are met.”
“Take away the blessings and they will turn from You.”
But Job’s story teaches us something important. Satan was not allowed to touch Job without permission from God. The enemy was never in control. God was.
The same is true for us.
There are trials God allows, not to destroy us, but to refine us, strengthen us, refine us, and draw us closer to Him. Sometimes the very trial that feels like it will break us is the one used to deepen our faith.
Worship in the Middle of the Pain
What amazes me most about the story of Job is not just what he went through and endured, but how he responded.
In one day, Job lost his possessions, his servants, and his children. I can only imagine the amount of pain, grief, and sorrow he was feeling after such devastating news.
And then we read this:
“Iyov (Job) got up, tore his coat, shaved his head, fell down on the ground and worshipped.”
(Job 1:20, CJB)
He worshipped.
It is easy to quickly read past verse 20, but we need to pause and take a moment to let this verse sink in. After all the loss and devastating news, Job fell to the ground and worshipped Adonai.
He did not wait until things got better.
He did not wait until he understood why this was happening.
He did not wait until his suffering was over.
He worshipped.
That is real faith.
Then Job said:
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will return there.
Adonai gave; Adonai took; blessed be the name of Adonai.
(Job 1:21, CJB)
When you have cried yourself to sleep.
When people you loved turn their backs on you.
When your future changes overnight.
When prayers seemed unanswered.
When your bank account is empty.
When you are in fear.
Can we still say, “Blessed be the name of the Lord”?
That is where worship becomes a sacrifice. Sometimes the most powerful praise comes through flowing tears.
“…let us offer God a sacrifice of praise continually. For this is the natural product of lips that acknowledge his name. But don’t forget doing good and sharing with others, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
(Hebrews 13:15-16, CJB)
Guard Your Heart
Proverbs tells us:
“Above everything else, guard your heart; for it is the source of life’s consequences.
(Proverbs 4:23, CJB)
Trials have a way of revealing what is really inside of us.
Pain can either make us bitter or bring us closer to God. We can become angry, resentful, and hardened, or in our suffering we can seek God.
Job refused to curse God. Even when his wife told him to give up, Job answered:
“But he answered her, “You’re talking like a low-class woman! Are we to receive the good at God’s hands but reject the bad?” In all this Iyov did not say one sinful word
(Job 2:10, CJB)
Job guarded his heart and his words. That is not easy to do when you are hurting.
When we are suffering, it is easy to complain, gossip, grow bitter, lose hope and question God. But worship protects our hearts. Praise shifts our focus away from the trial and back to God.
There were times in my own life when worship was all I could do. Sitting alone, crying, praying, and singing praises to my Father God. It was through my tears that I turned to the one and only Father God who could deliver me. And He was faithful to me every time.
God Uses Trials to Refine Us
The New Testament reminds us:
“No temptation has seized you beyond what people normally experience, and God can be trusted not to allow you to be tempted beyond what you can bear. On the contrary, along with the temptation he will also provide the way out, so that you will be able to endure.
(1 Corinthians 10:13, CJB)
God knows how much we can take and how long the trial should last.
The Father allows trials with purpose. Nothing is wasted.
Trials can humble us, teach us, and help us to deepen our faith and prayer life. They also can be used to expose the hidden things in our hearts and minds that need healing.
When in the midst of a trial 2e often find ourselves asking, “Why am I going through this?”
But the better question to ask is: “Lord, what are You trying to teach me?”
The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for forty years because they complained instead of learning to trust God. He guided them by the Fire at Night and the Cloud by Day. Their clothes and shoes never wore out. They were provided manna and quail for food. God was showing them that He alone was their provider.
Sometimes the Father removes every other source of security in our lives so we finally learn to lean completely rely on Him.
I learned this personally in the difficult times that I went through. When I had nothing left, there was my Father. He was my guide. He never let me go hungry. He provided me work, funds for gas, utilities, and the mortgage. He helped me through the pain of loss and abandonment. He provided the peace that I needed. He became my everything. There is where I learned, He IS my everything. He will never fail me. He will always be there. Our job is to bless God, no matter what we go through. To remember, that all things work together for good for those that are called for His purpose. Every trial in our life has a purpose.
Be Still and Trust Him
In the midst of my deepest pain, I learned to BE STILL. To know and believe without a doubt that God will deliver in His time.
We want to fix everything ourselves.
We want immediate answers.
We want God to move quickly.
But faith often grows in waiting.
When children, spouses, family members, or friends hurt us or walk away, we must remember we cannot change anyone. Only God can change people. Our only responsibility is to pray, trust in Him, and stay faithful.
Our Father sees what we cannot see.
Even when life feels out of control, He is still in control.
Sometimes worship means sitting quietly before God and simply saying: “Father, even though I do not understand what I am going through, I will trust You.”
God is always in control, even when our life feels completely out of control.
Repentance Closes Doors
Trials should also bring us into deeper repentance and surrender before God.
We should ask God to reveal our wrong attitudes, bitterness, pride, unforgiveness, or careless words. Then pray for repentance.
We need clean hands and a pure heart before God.
When we sincerely repent, the enemy loses ground. Satan cannot continue accusing us for sins over things that we have confessed and repented of. Repentance closes doors.
Job regularly prayed and offered sacrifices on behalf of his children because he understood the importance of being consecrated before God.
We must stay connected to the Father every day.
Worship Opens Prison Doors
I recall the story of Paul and Silas sitting in prison. They had been beaten and were chained, locked away in prison.
Yet they sang praises to God. They worshipped while they were in their time of suffering.
And suddenly the prison doors opened and they were free.
The enemy wants trials to silence our praise and worship. He was us to be discouraged, angry, hopeless and distant from God.
But my worship and your worship during trials still carries power. It sill breaks the chains that imprison us.
The enemy wants hardship to silence your praise.
What the enemy means for evil, God can use for good.
God Restores
Job remained faithful through suffering, and in Job 42 we see God restore and bless him abundantly. God revealed His faithfulness in the end. But God never wastes suffering.
Now, I can thank God for the trials I went through and the ones I am going through. Through them I experienced His provision, His comfort, His mercy, His strength, and His deliverance.
I witnessed His faithfulness in my own life and now I can share that testimony with others. I do not just believe God is faithful because I read it in the Bible. I believe it because I lived through suffering and pain where He carried me when I had nothing left.
People may leave.
Family may fail.
Jobs may disappear.
Money may run out.
But God remains faithful.
He truly is Father, Provider, Protector, and Deliverer.
Everything we have belongs to Him anyway. Nothing is truly ours.
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will return there.
Adonai gave; Adonai took; blessed be the name of Adonai.”
(Job 1:21, CJB)
If He allows something to be removed from our lives, we can trust that He has a purpose beyond what we can see.
Our job is to worship Him no matter what we face. To bless him no matter what we are going through.
Not only when prayers are answered.
Not only when blessings overflow.
But also in the wilderness.
In the waiting.
In the suffering.
Because He is still worthy.
“Blessed be the name of Adonai from this moment on and forever!
(Psalm 113:2, CJB)
Song: Blessed Be Your Name
