The psalmist sees the horrors of war and cries out for the Lord’s mercy. Throughout history, we too have known that even when a nation declares victory, there is no denying the casualties incurred along the way.

Still heroes do emerge from the ruins of hatred and violence. Corrie ten Boom told the story of her family in The Hiding Place (1971). They were caught in the crossfires and put their own lives on the line, hiding Jewish people during World War 2. Of her family, Corrie alone lived to tell of God’s goodness and redemption, declaring that “No pit is so deep that God’s love is not deeper still.”

The path beyond brokenness—whatever form it may take in your life—can lead to praise. Psalm 79 walks us through that process: grieving what has been lost or destroyed (vv. 1-4), crying out to the Lord (vv. 5-9), asking for God’s mercy (vv.11-12), accepting our place as the sheep of His pasture (v.13), and in the very last word of the psalm, giving praise.

Life’s battles may yield brokenness, but Jesus entered the world to give wholeness.