Tears of Praise 赞美的泪水

[Dexu Xia]

Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people; praise his holy name. Psalm 30:4

Years ago, I cared for my mom as she was in hospice. I thanked God for the four months He allowed me to serve as her caregiver and asked Him to help me through the grieving process. I often struggled to praise God as I wrestled with my mixed emotions. But as my mom breathed her last breath and I wept uncontrollably, I whispered, “Hallelujah.” I felt guilty for praising God in that devastating moment until, years later, I took a closer look at Psalm 30.

In David’s song “for the dedication of the temple,” he worshiped God for His faithfulness and mercy (vv. 1–3). He encouraged others to “praise his holy name” (v. 4). Then David explored how intimately God entwines hardship and hope (v. 5). He acknowledged times of grief and rejoicing, times of feeling secure and being dismayed (vv. 6–7). His cries for help remained laced with confidence in God (vv. 7–10). The echo of his praise wove through David’s moments of wailing and dancing, grief and joy (v. 11). As if acknowledging the mystery and complexity of enduring affliction and anticipating God’s faithfulness, David proclaimed his endless devotion to God (v. 12).

Like David, we can sing, “Lord my God, I will praise you forever” (v. 12). Whether we’re happy or hurting, God can help us declare our trust in Him and lead us to worship Him with joyful shouts and tears of praise.

By:  Xochitl Dixon

How has God helped you trust Him with your mixed emotions? How can you praise Him while still processing hardship?

Dear God, please help me trust You and praise You as I process my emotions

耶和华的圣民哪，你们要歌颂祂，称赞祂可记念的圣名。—诗篇30篇4节

多年前母亲住在临终关怀中心时，我负责照顾她。当时，我感谢上帝让我有时间照顾她四个月，也恳求上帝帮助我度过这段悲伤的日子。我的情绪很复杂，经常难以开口赞美上帝。然而，在母亲咽下最后一口气，我哭得无法自已时，口中却轻声说：“哈利路亚！”在如此悲不可抑的时刻，我竟赞美上帝，这令我自责良久，直到多年后我细读诗篇30篇，才得以释怀。

在这首“献殿之诗”中，大卫因上帝的信实与怜悯而敬拜上帝（1-3节），并鼓励众人一同来称赞祂的圣名（4节）。接着大卫提到，上帝会让困难与盼望相互交织（5节）。他明白有悲哀和欢庆的时刻，也有感到安稳和沮丧之时（6-7节）。大卫向上帝的求助充满了他对上帝的信靠（7-10节）。无论大卫哀泣或跳舞，悲伤或喜乐，他总是不停地向上帝发出赞美（11节）。虽然对大卫来说，在忍受苦楚时要期盼信实的上帝，是复杂难懂的奥秘，但他宣称要永远称谢上帝（12节）。

无论是苦还是乐，我们也能像大卫一样欢唱：“耶和华我的上帝啊，我要称谢祢，直到永远！”（12节）上帝能帮助我们宣告对祂的信靠，带领我们以喜乐的欢呼和赞美的泪水来敬拜祂。

作者：  邓书琪

当你心绪纷乱时，上帝如何帮助你信靠祂？
在你仍身陷困境时，你要如何赞美祂？

亲爱的上帝，当我还在经历伤痛时，
求祢帮助我信靠祢、赞美祢