A Pathway Through Pain

Application Questions   

1. Look back over the past week and share any results from “Praying Down the Ladder”? 
    
2. Have you experienced any negative impacts in your life from hurts in your past?  If your comfortable, share your experience.
    
3. Read Psalm 10:1. Can you relate to the Psalmist cry?  How would you feel about expressing your pain and hurt to God?  
    
4. Read Ephesians 6:12. What experience have you had with spiritual warfare?  How can that inform our prayers?
    
5. Read Psalm 10:16-18.  How can praising God while in pain help?
    
6. Use the guide below this week to help you Pray your Pain as you spend time With Him.

Praying Your Pain Guide
Put away your phones or any other distractions, and get into a comfortable, but alert position.  Choose a Psalm of Lament to help guide as you express your pain through prayer (Psalm 10, 13, 22, 60, 69, 79) 

1. Cry out- Let God hear your raw emotions and cry out to Him
    
2. Express pain- spend some time expressing in clear language the hurt you are carrying.  Be specific, give lots of details, let God know exactly how you feel.
    
3. Confess openly- acknowledge before God any sin in your life, any role you may have had in the past, or express your innocence in the matter.
    
4. Call out evil- recognize the role of spiritual warfare in your pain.  Pray again evil and systems of evil that continue to hurt today
    
5. Rehearse faith- declare your ongoing faith to God.  Rehearse situations in your life where you know God has been faithful.  Spend some time focused on the Cross
    
6. Choose Praise- praise God for his attributes, His ongoing work, His glory.  You may play a favorite hymn or song or sing one out.