Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale Daily DevotionalSample

Truly Testing Times It's easy, and even expected, for us to bless or speak well of the Lord when His blessings are abundant in our lives. Who isn't going to bless God when there's perfect health and plenty of money to go around or when we're at peace with everybody else and experiencing an easy existence? But that's not the kind of praise we witness in this Psalm. Notice how the psalmist speaks of blessing the Lord "at all times," not just during the good times. The real challenge and the truest test of our relationship with God is to praise Him when we face times of trial and trouble. These times truly tell the tale of how connected we are to Christ. Anyone can bless the Lord when they're being blessed, but it's something special for someone who's under the press of life to speak well of Him. It's what we see in Job's life as he decides to trust in the Lord, even if God had decided to destroy him (Job 13:15). It's what we see in the lives of Daniel's companions as they determined to worship God alone, even if He didn't deliver them from the fiery furnace (Daniel 3:18). And it's what we see in the teaching of Jesus as He promised a blessing to those who aren't "stumbled" when the Lord doesn't meet their expectations (Matthew 11:6). Here's a question each of us ought to ponder: Do we only speak well of the Lord when things are going well for us, or are we able to bless Him at all times-even during the tough ones? Lord, teach us to speak well of You at all times, not just when things are going the way we want them to. The real challenge and the truest test of our relationship with God is to praise Him when we face times of trial and trouble. Think about it... What does this passage reveal to me about God? What does this passage reveal to me about myself? Based on this, what changes do I need to make? What is my prayer for today?