Praise!

Can I praise God in my troubles? Even in the darkest cave, the deepest night, the most hopeless diagnosis, is there still something for which to give thanks? Romans 5 says there is. So does James 1. And David in the Psalms always turns to praise in the middle of his harrowing, near-death experiences.

In Romans 5, before the stuff about suffering, we are reminded that we are 1) justified by faith, 2) at peace with God through Jesus Christ, 3) able to access the grace in which we stand and, wonder of wonders, access God Himself!, 4) assured of sharing God's glory in eternity. Then comes the part about suffering, which, amazingly, does good things for us, like producing endurance, character, and hope (a hope which doesn't disappoint, I might add). And lest we forget that we have reason to give thanks, we are reminded (again!) in verse 6 that Christ died for us, even in our weakness and sin and self-absorption and silliness (okay, I put in that last part, but it's still true). And He did it "at the right time", not a minute too late or too soon.

Maybe the real truth about our trials is that they bring us back to the important things by stripping away the superficial. And maybe it's in the stripping away of health, wealth, and happiness that we see most clearly "a portrait of the ineffable beauty of the crucified Christ" and "the indescribable kindness of God." (Elyse Fitzpatrick in A Steadfast Heart)

Charles Spurgeon wrote, "There is no place to which you can be banished where God is not near, and there is no time of day or night when His throne is inaccessible. The caves have heard the best prayers. Some of God's people shine brightest in the dark."

Be encouraged in your trials. You might be shining your brightest just now.