Praising Past the Pain
Romans 12:12 — “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”
I never knew joy and grief could sit so closely together. My sister and I were pregnant at the same time, but near the end of her pregnancy, she lost her baby. We planned a funeral. We stood graveside. We cried until we could not cry anymore.
But still, I was carrying life inside me.
It was a strange place to be—rejoicing in one heartbeat while mourning the loss of another. Every smile at my growing belly felt tangled with guilt. Every moment of her sorrow made me ache, because I loved her, and I could not fix what was broken.
I prayed daily for the strength to walk both paths—one of celebration, one of grief—without falling apart. Someone close to us said, “God will make something beautiful out of this.”
At the time, those words felt too far away to reach. But I held them anyway, like a small seed in my pocket, waiting for it to sprout.
The daily battle was hard continued to be hard, but I chose to keep worshiping because deep down, I knew God was still working in ways I could not see.
Looking back, I see beauty in that story where I never expected it. Not because the grief vanished, but because God is so good. He has a way of writing stories where sorrow and hope can share the same page.
Sometimes the greatest breakthroughs come when you keep walking, keep singing, and keep trusting. Because God is a good author, and he know what you and your loved ones are going through.
And long before you know how the ending will turn out, He has the end in mind.
— Kari Jobe
THE BLESSING
The Lord bless you
And keep you
Make His face shine upon you
And be gracious to you
The Lord turn His
Face toward you
And give you peace
Amen
May His favor be upon you
And a thousand generations
And your family
And your children
And their children
And their children
May His presence go before you
And behind you
And beside you
All around you
And within you
He is with you
He is with you
In the morning
In the evening
In your coming
And your going
In your weeping
And rejoicing
He is for you
He is for you
He is for you
Written by Steven Furtick, Chris Brown, Kari Jobe, Cody Carnes
