Bad Times. Praise God!

Categories: Devotional,Psalms

God is to be praised in hard times because it is precisely in these times that His people are made pure.
A hymn writer from the 1800’s wrote:

“When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Refrain
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.”

A hymn writer who came long before the 1800’s said something similar:

“You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs.
You let men ride over our heads;
We went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance.
For you, O God, tested us; you refined us like silver” (Psalm 66:10-12).

I think that wise people have discovered that God is to be praised in hard times. Maybe this is partly because they learned that God uses hard times to make his people pure.

So if you want to make yourself, your faith stronger and purer then look at pressures, tests, trials, and hardships as good things. Use them to grow your faith, to make it purer and stronger. Coming out the other side of hardship you will be better than when you went in.

Let’s for today make a new song. It can go like this:

“Count your trials, name them one by one,
Count your trials, see what God hath done.”

With God’s leading our trials can be blessings.

Now that’s something to Celebrate!

Author: Toby Larson

Toby Larson leads Celebration International. He is a husband and father of 5. Whether he's teaching, hitting tennis balls, sailing a Hobie, serving in Asia, skiing on water or snow, Toby is passionate about the love of God and the love of life. Read more ...