Will You Trust Him?

Sorrows, suffering, and seething pain eventually touch most every life. When it does will you still trust God? While driving to the office this morning I thought about Paul and Silas. After being beaten with rods, imprisoned, and fastened in stocks they had a choice to trust God or doubt His faithfulness. How did they respond after such tortuous treatment? But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God and the prisoners were listening to them. [Acts 16:25]

Some of you are in your own midnight of hardships. It would be easy to abandon the faith but where else could you go? Where else could Paul and Silas turn in their plight? God was their only hope and is your only hope. So you pray. You pray for strength and faith to trust Him. You also sing praise to God. With a broken heart and often with tears streaming down your cheeks  you praise.

Many years ago I was preaching a college retreat in a very difficult of time of life. I heard a song at that retreat I had never heard before that struck a chord with me. To be more specific it was just a line out of that song that echoed the pain I felt in my soul during that season of life and ministry.

Blessed Be Your Name
In the land that is plentiful
Where Your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be Your name

Blessed Be Your name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed Be Your name

Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

Blessed be Your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's 'all as it should be'
Blessed be Your name

Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name

Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name

The line that most ministered to me that night was the one, "Blessed be Your name on the road marked with suffering though there's pain in the offering Blessed be Your name." Many of you reading this are traversing down roads marked with suffering. For many every time you step foot into a worship service and pour your heart out in song there is pain in the offering. You still trust Him even when it hurts. You still cling to Him even when life is blowing against you like a hurricane. You still trust Him even when what you see in front of you tells you continued trust is foolish.

As I made the twenty minute commute to the office this morning I began to sing. I had the radio turned off. I started singing an old old song by Rich Mullins. "Step by step You will lead me. I will follow You all of my days. I will seek You in the morning. I will learn to walk in Your ways. Step by step You will lead me and I will follow You all of my days." There was a little pain in the offering of praise this morning. Just like so many of you when you sing. I sang and I prayed. I determined to trust God no matter what. I really have no other viable options. Neither did Paul and Silas. Neither do you.

Paul and Silas prayed. They praised. God heard. God did a miracle. So today we must pray. We must continue to praise. We must trust God to move our mountains. We also need to trust Him with the future. Let us trust Him for endurance on the road marked with suffering from time to time.