Who Would Praise God?

Life brings to us its storms and sunny days, its hard days and its easy days, its days which are so bad they never seem to end and days so filled with joy they race away leaving us feeling as if we have had a quick glimpse of the best of life.  One of the hardest things for so many is to live this life with an even keel.  Today was a day filled with an unspeakable moment of blessing which caused me to know such tears of joy as I have seldom known.  It was a day, too, of deep gratitude to God for His blessings.  It could have been a different day.  The news which brought unspeakable joy could have been news which brought unthinkable horror.    

Had the day been one of unthinkable horror, would it have also found me expressing gratitude to God for blessings which were, perhaps, invisible to me?  I remember Paul writing to the Philippians, "I have learned to be content..." (Philippians 4:11).  I remember, too, that he wrote to the Thessalonian Church, "give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (I Thessalonians 5:18)  Had the day been different would I have been content?  Would I still have given thanks?  Would I have still praised God?    

I know what I would like to say my answer to such questions would be, but honesty calls me to hope such would be true all the while knowing it might not have happened.  Like so many, I have been in the dark places on other days and not always stood knowing that the Eternal Light was still shining.  I have not always stood in the moments of trial in the way that the Apostle Paul was able to stand.  What is known by all of us is that the key to Paul's life of contentment and thanksgiving was not personal determination, but absolute trust in Christ.  For Paul circumstances did not matter for he knew Christ was constant and sure.  May it be so for each one of us.