Kim Melnick
Jul 5, 2026
Honoring the Lord in Suffering and in Joy
I’ve noticed something about walking with the Lord. When I am in hard situations, those where I know I’m clearly in over my head, my dependence on the Lord deepens and His presence feels so near. And, when life is going well, my dependence may wane, but my praise of the Lord increases and is evident, not only in my heart, but in my attitude, my words and in the joy-filled music selections on my playlist.
It’s caused me to wonder: What glorifies God the most—my dependence on Him or my praise of Him? As I pondered this question, the Lord brought James 5:13 to mind:
“Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.” James 5:13
As I saw prayer and praise together, it hit me that both are practical realities in the life of a believer, and both are forms of worship that shift our focus off of ourselves and onto the Lord.
While not a perfect analogy, I thought of parenting.
As we parent our children, we delight when they bring their trials to us and, instead of figuring life out on their own, they share their burdens and ask for wisdom and/or prayer. These actions communicate that they trust us. They believe there is some provision in us that can help, revealing their humility and dependence and we feel honored.
And, when our children welcome us into the joys of their lives, it brings us delight to share in their celebrations. We are reminded of their love for us as they consider and include us and, again, we feel honored.
Now, the Lord has no need for this kind of affirmation from His children, but it brings Him glory when we trust Him through prayerful dependence. And, it brings Him glory when we joyfully praise His name in our hearts and with our voices to others.
You see, our dependence and praise are not competing forms of worship; they are complementary expressions of a God-centered life. Our dependence reveals our belief in His sufficiency, His sovereign power, His wisdom and His loving care. And our praise reflects our faith in the reality of His goodness and acknowledges that we see His faithfulness and find our delight in Him.
Even more, the two are beautifully connected. Our dependence on the Lord leads us to praise Him as we remember His faithfulness, and even as we wait, our praise can become an expression of trust in His unchanging character.
We see these realities reflected in these words from David in Psalm 28.
“To you, O Lord, I call; my rock, be not deaf to me, lest, if you be silent to me, I become like those who go down to the pit. Hear the voice of my pleas for mercy, when I cry to you for help, when I lift up my hands toward your most holy sanctuary.” Psalm 28:1-2
David’s desperate trust in hardship is clear. His request reveals his great need for the Lord. And yet, just four verses later, we see him praising God as he exults in the Lord with song and thanksgiving.
“Blessed be the Lord! For he has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy. The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.” Psalm 28:6-7
In David’s trust, the Lord is worshipped. In David’s praise, the Lord is worshipped. The key is that both reveal a heart set on the Lord—not on self or on fellow man.
We know that the Bible teaches us that every moment is an opportunity to glorify God. James 5:13 helps us see how God has provided a way for us to do this in every season of life.
In suffering, we glorify the Lord through prayerful dependence.
In joy, we glorify the Lord through heartfelt praise.
Whether we are bringing Him our burdens in prayer or lifting our voices in praise and thanksgiving, every circumstance becomes an opportunity to worship the One who is worthy of it all.
Oh that we would be people who, by the Lord’s grace, live in prayerful dependence on Him with hearts that overflow with increasing praise as we worship our Lord in every circumstance of life.
“I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” Psalm 34:1