Why Praise God in the Storm?

Life is filled with challenges.  At some point in our brief journey on this planet, we as human beings are going to face challenges, difficulties, and obstacles. Sometimes we refer to these problems as "storms".  If that is the case, let us examine a few realities about storms:

1. Storms can be very scary 
2. Storms can be life threatening 
3. Storms do not last forever
4. After a storm, there is calm
5. Eventually, the sun shines again after a storm

When we decide to praise God in the storm, our praise to Him becomes more authentic.  Think about it: isn't it easier to praise God when there's money in our bank accounts, food in our bellies, roofs over our heads, job security, great health and great respect from our loved ones? But what happens when we lose some or all of those things?  That was what happened to Job. Job was a righteous man who feared God and shunned evil.

According to God, there was not another man like Job on the earth.  Satan tried to argue the case that the only reason that Job feared God was because God put a hedge around Job.  In other words, Satan basically tried to say that Job's praise to God wasn't real because God was protecting Job from all of life's problems.  Satan suggested that if Job lost all of his blessings and protection from God, then he would surely curse God to his face. God allowed Satan to tempt Job, therefore, to prove the point that no matter what, Job would hold on to his integrity and not curse God.

Satan went out from the presences of the LORD and inflicted every area of Job's life. Job lost his children, his job, his wealth, and his health.  Even his wife told him to curse God and die. But after losing all of what God had originally given him, Job fell down in worship to God.  Could you or I do that immediately after losing everything (including the lives of our children)?  Job struggled in his faith for some time after the disaster hit him, but at the end of the day, he sought after God with questions, concerns, and ultimately heard directly from God.  When God showed Job that he had overstepped some boundaries by indicting God the way that he had, Job repented of his sin. God blessed Job with twice as much as he had in the beginning - cf Job 1, 2, 42

While you and I are not Job, we are in a sense.  Our faith will be tested at some point to determine whether or not it is authentic. I will be the first to tell you that I don't like trials, tests, evaluations or challenges.  I wish everything could be smooth sailing in life, but it is surely not.  And like Job, we will be tested.  We might not handle the situation perfectly, but if we can hold on to our faith, we will make it!

Jesus said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” -John 16:33

REMEMBER ... GOD WANTS YOU!!!!