IN THE MIDST

In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you

(I Thessalonians 5: 18).

There is praise IN the valley. As a worship leader I have encouraged others to give the sacrifice of praise. I have extolled others to sing the praise of a God who may sometimes feel absent, but I do not know if I have ever been at a place so low that I had to choose to do that myself. I know, I know, I have had the occasional difficult day or rough patch in marriage or parenting or have simply been in a bad mood and had to choose praise over pouting, but I am talking about a place so low that you recognize that God is allowing it for pruning, testing, and results. James 1:2-4 says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

So I know we have the promise of God to make something great of the pruning and the testing. But once again, you get the sense that there is purpose IN the pain. And for that and the possibility of end results, we still need to offer praise to God. It’s in the pain and in the circumstance of life that God molds us into the people He wants us to be. I want to be God’s man no matter where God takes me and in order to be God’s man, everything must be His including my praise. In the moment of despair, if I do not praise God and I complain, then I praise the problem, because at that moment I place it on the pedestal of importance in my heart.

God, I pray that you will give me the strength to endure these trials, which I recognize are Your way of revealing more of Yourself to me and I pray that IN the difficulty, in the struggle, in the uncertainty… I will still offer my thanks to You, not only for who You are, but for where You have me. For to be where You are is my heart’s desire, even when it is difficult. So Father, teach the lesson, make the point, deliver the message You have for me and through it all…IN it all…You have my praise.