I have to praise you like I should...

     It’s easy to see God when things are going well.

     We get a promotion, and we thank God.
   
     We start dating a cute girl, and we praise The Lord.
   
     We pass that test we didn’t really study for, and we commend Jesus.

     But where are our cries of thanksgiving when we lose our job due to downsizing?  What happens to our adoration when we get left in the dust by a cute girl who’s ex boyfriend wants to “try things again”?  Where is our love for Him when we fail at the things we’ve worked so hard to accomplish?

     It seems like our love for the father goes out the window the minute hardship steps in the picture.

     Why is it so easy to worship God in the good times, yet so difficult to see him when times are tough?  Doesn’t God say that he has “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”?  Why then do some people have to choose between paying rent and buying groceries?  I know I shouldn’t be one to question my father, but as a son of the king, I feel inclined to ask why He does what He does as a way of trying to get to know Him on a deeper level.

     When we look toward God in times of our suffering we can begin to understand Him more so than if we just give Him praise when things are going well.  It’s difficult to praise Him when things don’t go our way, or when times are tough.  When we only praise Him when things are going well it leads us down the road of blaming God when things go bad.  We begin to get spiteful towards our father.  We think if He really is omniscient and omnipresent, that He is the cause for our pain.  Without delving into the debate between Calvinism and Armenianism, if we only give thanks during the good times, we miss out on the full relationship our father offers.  It’s difficult to worship God, let alone “thank” Him for the misfortunes in our lives.  It’s an act of humility; an act of submission to glorify Him in times of strife, but doing so draws us closer to our father who wants to be our source of comfort and security when we are tired and burdened.
   
     We have to begin looking for and praising God in all aspects of our lives.  It’s a tough thing to do, but it can only lead to a greater understanding, and greater level of intimacy with God.

     “But I am afflicted and in pain;
          let your salvation, O God, set me on high!” 
                                                       – Psalm 69:29

     "Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love? Does it mean He no longer loves us if we have
          calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger or threatened with death? No!
          Despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ who loved us." 
                                                                                                                                  - Romans 8:35-37