EVEN WHEN IT HURTS (Hillsong United)

“Even When It Hurts,” by Hillsong United, captures the excruciating journey of the human spirit to endure trials of life with Godly wisdom and Biblical perspective.

Written by Joel Houston and beautifully sung by Taya Smith, this timeless song is bathed in honest lyrics, raw, unfiltered emotion, and incredible vulnerability and fortitude to simply recognize that praise should be the universal response of our hearts at all times and in all circumstances.

Whether mountain high or valley low, as born-again followers of Christ we are called by God to trust He has a plan and purpose for our lives which exceeds human comprehension. 

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope" (Jeremiah 29:11).

Of course, it is easy to praise Him when life is comfortable and we have little to complain about, but do we remember to praise Him when life turns sour, or immediately turn to prayers of rescue, restoration and healing with defined time limitations?

Keep in mind, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:8–9).

Therefore, we can resolve our minds to relinquish prideful tendencies which demand justification for the trials we face, and embrace the moment with complete abandon to the One who saved our souls and calls us to continually trust in Him, even when it hurts.

LYRICS: "Take this fainted heart. Take these tainted hands. Wash me in your love. Come like grace again. Take this mountain weight. Take these ocean tears. Hold me through the trial. Come like hope again."

The process of successfully overcoming trials begins with surrendering our will and expectations to the Lord. Undoubtedly, our flesh will seek out every possible quick resolution to our problems without asking for God's help, or conditionally ask for it to avoid relinquishing personal control. Why?

Truth be told, there is nothing more scarier for some people than to cry out, "Jesus, take the wheel," and accept the consequences of what happens next when we can't predict the future or anticipate the outcome. Yet that is the essence of faith, and we cannot expect God to abandon His sovereign will and divine purpose in favor of our fleshly agenda which is devoid of omniscient perspective.

Rather, we must honestly take inventory of our hearts and in humility, embrace the promises He makes to us in His Word which declare, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you" (Isaiah 43:2).

We may ask ourselves why God would make such a promise to His children, but the answer is clear: "Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you" (Isaiah 43:4a), declares the Lord.

LYRICS: "Even when my strength is lost, I'll praise you. Even when I have no song, I'll praise you. Even when it's hard to find the words, louder then I'll sing your praise...Even when the fight seems lost. I'll praise you. Even when it hurts like hell, I'll praise you. Even when it makes no sense to sing, louder then I'll sing your praise."

Consider how prophetic the words of this song are when we examine our hearts and personally identify with the lyrics. Whether we find ourselves presently in the midst of trials, reflecting upon the past, or anxiously awaiting what lies ahead, we know more intimately than we care to admit how true these words are.

Speaking from experience, I can attest how difficult it is to admit when I feel out of control emotionally, battered and bruised mentally, exhausted physically, and wounded spiritually, yet that is precisely the moment when God does His most miraculous work.

He patiently waits till we've come to the end of our rope, when we're sick and tired of being sick and tired, and extends open arms of love and acceptance if we would allow Him to work in us and through us. 

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28–30).

LYRICS: "And my heart burns only for you. You are all, you are all I want. And my soul waits only for you, and I will sing till the morning has come. Lord, my heart burns only for you. You are all, you are all I want. And my soul waits only for you, and I will sing till the miracle comes."

The moment we finally relinquish ultimate control is when the Lord begins to heal our hearts and remove the scales from our eyes so we can catch a glimpse of His omniscient perspective. A shifting of the tide takes place as our personal will is brought in unison with God's, and intimate fellowship ignites a passionate fire of submission and obedience to His Word that is not easily extinguished by the enemy.

However, waiting on God to do what only He can do is perhaps one of the hardest spiritual disciplines to master because our natural inclination is to take personal control (which in part, is not necessarily wrong).

Discerning when we should act vs. waiting patiently on God to move is a skill mastered only by quality time in Bible study and prayer, because peace, wisdom and discernment are ultimately found in Him. In other words, we identify with the Psalmist's cry, "I wait for the Lord, my souls waits, and in his word I hope" (Psalms 130:5), yet when trials consume us we often wallow and fester in a self-imposed pit of worry, doubt, impatience and fear.

Do we not believe singing praises to God for His faithfulness in the face of utter hopelessness is not a testimony of our faith to those around us? Make no mistake, our fleshly reaction or Godly response will likely be one of the most influential opportunities for evangelism we will ever partake in whether we like it or not, for the world is continually holding us accountable to the faith we profess in Christ.

Keep in mind, there is nothing more "illogical" than singing praises to God when the enormity of life comes crashing down on our psyche. No matter the cause or effect, it just doesn't make sense from a fleshly perspective to encounter trials and genuinely smile right back at them, yet that is (figuratively) what Scripture calls us to do as Christians, even when it hurts.

I've often wondered when I read, "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds" (James 1:2), whether we as the body of Christ seriously believe it. Consider what James is challenging us to reconcile in our hearts and minds:

• "Count It" - Take time to calculate the trials before you as if you were analyzing your personal finances with pinpoint accuracy.

• "All Joy" - Shift your attitude from negative to positive and embrace the opportunity with thankfulness and praise for every aspect and consequence the trial presents.

• "My Brothers" - Recognize you're never alone in the trials you face because you have a family of believers coming alongside you in prayer and accountability.

• "When You"- Don't be surprised when trials arise, but expect they will unpredictably come and impact your life universally.

• "Meet Trials"- Anticipate a direct confrontation with trials intended to test your character and countenance and gauge your spiritual maturity.

• "Of Various Kinds" - Appreciate the complexity of trials intentionally designed to drive you to the brink of surrendering your will for a greater purpose.

The beauty of trials is that they refine who we are in Christ, just as gold and silver are purified by fire. However, we cannot underestimate the severity of trials to which the Lord will allow in order to test our faith and grow us spiritually.

Peter certainly understood this, for the Lord prophesied that he would not only be tested by fire but fail miserably. However, in the same breath Jesus exhorted Peter to learn from his mistakes and strengthen his brethren as a result by teaching them to rejoice in trials.

"In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 1:6–7).

That is the power of reconciliation and restitution, forgiveness and healing, grace and mercy, and it is freely available for all who humbly call upon the name of Jesus in repentance. The Lord knew Peter would fail, yet that didn't negate the importance of Him praying for Peter nonetheless, which should emphasize to us how intimately God participates in our lives even though He knows the future and can predict our reactions and responses.

I believe that is one of the greatest mysteries of heaven, that the Creator Himself would willingly absorb the wrath of our fury when we're overcome with irrational emotions and unfair accusations toward His character in the midst of trial.

For He already knows every detail of our lives (past, present and future), yet His Word simply declares, "Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you" (1 Peter 5:6–7).

I believe the reason why I love, "Even When It Hurts," so much is because it echoes my heart more often than I care to admit. "When my strength is lost, when I have no song, when it's hard to find the words, when the fight seems lost, when it hurts like hell, when it makes no sense," I must resist the urge to give up all hope by casting off human instinct and embracing the unthinkable: Praise and Worship.

When Taya Smith bellows at the top of her lungs, "I will only sing your praise," I am literally brought to tears because I can recall past trials when my heart echoed the same sentiment of faith under fire, and ashamedly times when I should have cried out those same words with unashamed abandon, but failed to do so because of selfish and prideful reasons.

Make no mistake, our lives are a melting pot of righteous intentions and prideful choices, yet the Lord loves us unconditionally and uses us as instruments of His grace despite our shortcomings. We may never tame our unquenchable desire for answers and reasons why in the midst of trial, but this song of praise helps us recognize why we must preach the Gospel to ourselves on a daily basis.

For trials will come and disrupt our fleshly comforts to the extent God allows in order to stir our hearts, awaken our minds, and stretch our faith. Why? Most notably, to guard us from becoming lazy, indifferent and complacent to the world around us. But more importantly, as a testimony of faith that God is forever glorious and worthy of our praise, even when it hurts. 

Paul said, "I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life" (1 Timothy 1:12–16).

May we emulate his example and embrace trials from a different angle and fresh perspective than we typically would, in order that souls may be won for Christ based on the testimony of our lives, witnessed by those who would otherwise reject the faith altogether.

"Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil" (1 Peter 3:13–17).