Have you ever heard a story that seems so incredible you actually wonder how true it actually is? I was told once about a pastor who stood outside his house with his wife and daughter watching their house burn to the ground. He wept not because his valuables were being destroyed before his very eyes, but because he knew his two sons were still inside. They said the firemen found the boys underneath the bed with the oldest boy wrapped around the baby as if he was trying to protect it. The most important part of the story is how the father reacted. Instead of crying out in anger over what he had lost, he lifted up praise and thanksgiving to God for everything he still had to be thankful for.

To be honest, I can’t say I would react in the same way. But when I read the passage in 2 Samuel 12:20 where David got up, ate, and worshiped God after he heard his son had finally died, I can’t help but wonder how I actually would respond if I was put in the same situation. Would I choose to be angry or would I choose to worship? Would I stop and wonder why or would I trust in His providence?

Though I pray I never have to face a situation that extreme, everyday I face situations that demand the same answers. It is easy to worship God when everything is going right. Of course as we saw with King Saul, it is also easy to forget and set aside the One who made the best times happen. It is much more difficult to worship God when times are tough. And I’m not talking about right before you take a test you didn’t study for and know you’ll probably fail unless God answers your prayer for a great awakening in your mind. I’m talking about the moment you realize you just completely flunked out of school, lost your scholarship, lost your job, and lost your girlfriend all as you watch your car being towed away.

I want to be the kind of worshipper that can sincerely worship God when He gives and turn around and worship with the same trust and adoration when He takes away. May I learn the importance of what it means to truly worship God in every and all circumstances.