There are times in our life when it seems impossible to even move forward one step, let alone glorify God and be joyful in some of the most difficult situations. This past summer I have been blessed by a family who, although they had every reason to be angry and discouraged, they chose to be joyful and press on to glorify God. 

On May 1st, Mrs. H shared what had happened in a Facebook post: 

"I am going to start out this post with how incredibly grateful I am that my husband is alive today. I am so so so grateful that God has spared his life. This morning Mr. H was doing some work on a bridge in Ash Fork, harnessed in when the supports he was tied off to fell. He fell 30 feet. He was flown to FMC where we met him. The amazing...he has sustained no internal injuries, no brain injury (he was wearing a helmet, thank God), and no injuries to his spinal column. The not so amazing...he has broken bones in his face, ribs, left hand/wrist, pelvis, right femur, and both of his ankles/feet. Needless to say he was in a lot of pain, but he can talk to us, laugh with us and he is in good spirits. I cannot tell you how happy I am to have him with us." 

Despite the accident that had occurred, this family was diligent in what they had committed to do in studying God's Word and continuing to glorify God by magnifying His goodness to them. Was it easy for them to do this? No, but they made it their aim to have joy, reminding each other to "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." (James 1:2-4) 

Do you ever find it difficult to have joy and to persevere? I encourage to you lean on Christ, because He has a perfect plan for you, even in the trials. He is using whatever circumstance you are in to purify you and to shape you into the person He wants you to be! 

"For you, O God, have tested us;
you have tried us as silver is tried." 
Psalm 66:10
"Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver;
I have tried you in the furnace of affliction." 
Isaiah 48:10 
"In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ." 
1 Peter 1:6-7 

~paisley 
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​(All Scripture quoted from the ESV) 

A theme that has been apparent in my life has been remembering what God has done in my life and in the lives of those around me. It seems as though it should be obvious and something that I remember, but in actuality, I am prone to focus on myself and my current struggles so that I forget what God has done in the past! 

In Exodus 34:6-8 we read: "The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, 'The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation.' And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped." 

What was Moses' response to God's greatness and His promises? Awe and worship! Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped this God who abounds in faithfulness and steadfast love toward His beloved people! Our God will sustain us each and every day, the days when we excel in our writing and the days when we can barely even write one word. He will enable us to glorify Him and have joy even in the most difficult situations in our life where it appears that we ought to be depressed. When we are struggling to praise Him for the trial, He will bring us comfort, because He has promised in Deuteronomy 31:8 "It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed." This great God who has made the world and everything in it has promised to be faithful to us no matter what happens. Even "if we are faithless, He remains faithful-- for He cannot deny himself." (2 Timothy 2:13)  

What great promises we have! Let us hold fast to them and to our faithful God, telling of His great deeds toward us with others. 

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
Matthew 28:16-20 

Enjoy this video of my sister, a friend, and I singing Great is Thy Faithfulness about a week ago. May it bring glory to the Lord! (Pardon the video quality, it was taken with a phone. 😉)

(All scripture quoted from the English Standard Version) ​