Offering Praise and Thanks Despite Life's Hot Spots and Storms

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (NIV)

2 Corinthians 12:10 "That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (NIV)

Malachi 3:2-3 "But who can endure the day of his coming? who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner's fire or a launderer's soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver..." (NIV)

So...like most Americans, we are greatly feeling the money crunch. Pay cuts in our incomes have greatly impacted our household. But, we know that we are not alone in this area. Many of people in our country are facing situations like ours and so much worse. How easily we could become down-trodden.

Yet, what the Scriptures say is to praise the Lord in all situations. Through the good and the bad, God is always there by our sides. That in and of itself is worthy of our praise! WE ARE NOT ALONE!! Despite all of our hard times and difficulties, we have much for which to be thankful.

Personally, I am so thankful for my family. We have four miraculously healthy, beautiful children. We have a roof over our heads to call home. We have food to put on our table for meals. WOW! That is already so much for which to praise God! We have a beautiful church and a wonderful church family. And, we have the freedom to worship in our sanctuary and praise God, in the good times and in the bad times.

I have recently been through some of the hardest, darkest moments of my life. I began journaling my thoughts, my prayers, my fears, my joys. I began a diary to God. As I have come through those times and look back on my journal I realize it was at those lowest points that God's presence was felt the closest. When I surrendered and allowed myself to fully lean on Him, I found more strength. And despite still feeling down, I began to rejoice; I praised God. And what a blessing I gave myself by doing this.

I'm not saying that everything suddenly became all smiles and sunshine. I still had much to work through; however, I could praise God because He was there with me. I had sad parts, but I was able to see the good. I used that pain and hurt to grow...I grew closer in my relationship with Christ; I grew closer in my relationship with my husband; the two of us grew closer (as a couple) to God.

I don't feel that God caused these events that hurt me. however, as a dear friend once told me, God can make something beautiful from every situation. My friend also told me that those trials, "hot spots", were much like the heat that silver must endure while being refined. The refiner must hold the silver in the hottest part of the flame carefully watching so that it does not remain too long and become ruined. The refiner must keep a constant watch and must not remove the silver too soon either. And only when the silversmith can see his image in it is the silver refined and complete.

This analogy helped me so much. Those "hot spots" in my life were very painful, the very hottest of hot. And much like the silver, I needed refining. And, true to form, my Refiner never took His eyes from me. He remained vigilant in my refining process. And, once He again saw His image shining forth and reflecting from within me, my Refiner removed me from my "hot spots". How can we not praise a God whose promise is to always be with us?! How can we not offer praise for all He has done? How can we not offer praise for all He has not done yet? As I do in my everyday life, I found myself singing parts of songs as I wrote this. One chorus in particular rings true: "Blessed Be Your Name"
...You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be your name...
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name!
The song says "my hear will CHOOSE...". It is our choice to praise God in the good and the bad. God gives us free will so to choose not to praise Him in the bad times is our choice to make. But, oh the glorious blessing that comes from choosing to praise Him at ALL times of our lives!
Our God is an awesome God
He reigns from Heaven above
With wisdom, power, and love
Our God is an awesome God.
How true this chorus is! Our God is AWESOME and worthy of our praise. While He is all powerful, he is also all-loving. He never stops loving us. He is always with us, in the good and the bad. So, I encourage you to praise God in ALL things, in all times.

As I close, I'll leave you with one last set of lyrics by Casting Crowns ("Praise You in This Storm"). This song found a very special place in my heart when it touched my sister while she was caring for her son 2 1/2 years of age while he underwent cancer treatment at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. We all face "hot spots" or "storms" in our lives. What a storm to have to weather: caring for your child during a life and death set of events!
As the thunder rolls, I barely hear You whisper
Through the rain, "I'm with you."
And as Your mercy falls, I raise my hands and praise
The God who gives and takes away.
And I'll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands,
For You are who You are
No matter where I am.
And every tear I've cried,
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my hear is torn
I will praise You in this storm.
If Amanda could praise God in that storm of her life, how can I not praise Him in my tough times!? How can you not praise Him?