In joys and sorrows, in laughter and tears, Blessed be the Name of the Lord.

I was perusing my feed and a friend had posted the meme, "Lord, I thank you for all the times you encourage me."

It is good to thank the Lord when He offers us moments of encouragement, or peace. We really feel like thanking the Lord when He gives us times of joy and refreshment. We're often very quick to thank the Lord when He provides for a need we were worried about and suddenly is taken care of.

Those are all good times to thank the Lord indeed.

But we so often choose not to thank Him in our times of struggle, in disappointment, in pain and in sorrow. Then we're often resentful of God....murmuring to ourselves, "I'm a good believer God, a faithful servant...why are you letting this happen to me?!"

Our hearts can often turn to stone against God when we feel He isn't giving us what we want, at the time we want it.

Yet....it is in those times of trial, of struggle, that our character is shaped the most, and our faith has the ability to be deepened the greatest.

When in pain we can say, "Lord, use this to Your glory," and the pain becomes an offering to the Lord.

When in struggle we can say, "Lord, I don't know how this is going to work out, but I know You do, and I will trust in You, Blessed be Your name." And the struggle strengthens our faith and dependence upon God.

When in sorrow we can say, "Lord, You give and You take away, yet in all things Your ways are good. Help me Lord, You who wept for Your friend, please hold me now," and we can feel the Lord's comfort and put our hope in the life to come....where there will be no tears, for He shall wipe them away.

Christ sent the Disciples into the storm, where they would be afraid and their faith would be tested. They would have been lost without His saving power, and His calming of the storm, showed them His glory and power.

God sends us still into storms, and into deep valleys. There are times we can see no reason for something, be it pain, an ordeal, a crisis, a heartbreak, a parting....and our choices come down to two.....to either praise God in trust or murmur against Him.

Oswald Chambers said "Faith by its very nature must be tested and tried." We must go through struggles in order for our faith to be developed and made strong. The ultimate goal of faith is to say that even when we don't understand what is going on, even when in situations of pain and sorrow we can say, "My trust is in the Lord; even should He take all from me, He is still good."

We cannot develop such faith in shallow waters, in safety and in the sunny glades of life. My deepest personal moment of worship was when we had been told I had a cancer and needed surgery quickly lest it spread, we went home, and in tears and sorrow, sang praises to God. That should He heal me now, or take me to Him, either way, He was, and is yet, good and worthy of all honor, glory and praise.

It is in such storms that you find out what your faith is worth.

Yes, it is good and right to thank the Lord for our blessings, our encouragements, our joys and pleasures. It is better to develop the faith that in your times of pain and toil, sorrow and struggle, you can lift your eyes and praise the God who gives.... and the God who takes away, and trust that no matter what is happening, that He is good and His will is best.

If you are in a crisis of life now, listen carefully for your Shepherd's call, and praise Him that He is with you in this moment, He will not let you go alone. He loves you too much for that. He will guide you, shelter you and give you the strength, through Him, to endure and emerge on the other side, if you will but trust Him.

And if you are in a quiet moment of life, in a peaceful patch, then thank the Lord for your comforts and joys, but know that sooner or later, you too will be going into the storm. Look at your friends and family who are in the midst of their own tempests, and pray for them, help them, love them...for this life brings joy and pain to us all.

"Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:18

In joys and sorrows, in laughter and tears, Blessed be the Name of the Lord.