Praise the Lord, Anyhow!

Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? Hope thou in God: for I shall YET praise him for the help of his countenance. —Psalm 42:5

A man was shipwrecked on a deserted island. Every day he prayed that he would be rescued.  He build himself a hut for a shelter from the rain and cold.  But one day his hut caught fire and burned to the ground. He got angry and in frustration he shook his fist at God and said, “Isn’t it bad enough that I’m deserted on this island and now You take away my hut too?”

A few hours later a ship arrived and rescued the man. The captain of the ship told the man, “When we saw your smoke signal we stopped to rescue you!”

It is hard to praise God when your hut is on fire.  However, we need to praise God in all circumstances, because He is working it out for your good if you love God (Rom. 8:28).

YET I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. —Habakkuk 3:18