Praying through

In any relationship that we have in life, there are times of great joy and times of great challenge.

Whether it be a marriage, or a friendship or a relationship at work, you and I will walk through times where we have been hurt, mystified or confused.

What do we do when we are hurting?

We "pray through".

David writes in Psalms 42:4, "These things I remember and I pour out my soul within me.  For I used to go along with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God.  With the voice of joy and thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival."

4 steps to praying through.

First of all, talk to God honestly about your hurts. 

Tell God how you feel.  Be completely hope and vulnerable with him.  He knows what we are thinking anyway.  "God, this is what is going on in my life!!!!!"

Secondly, express your feelings about your hurts to God.

God can handle our feelings, even those feelings that cause us to cry out our verbal pain in ways that are exactly "godly".

Thirdly, mediate for a new meaning from your old hurts. 

Those memories from the past may never go away, but how you and I interpret them and the way we are emotionally involved with them can change with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Finally, praise God for the new meaning he gives you!

One further word...you and I may have to walk through this process several times before the emotions behind a hurt begin to dissipate.