I’ve missed a few days of posting due to illness. Today I am grateful that I feel better and am back at work. I am sharing an email I received from Revive Our Hearts.

Psalm 56 is a hymn of praise and trust, of confidence and strength, of worship and gratitude. This particular one was written in far less than ideal circumstances, however. David was on the run from King Saul, and when he was spotted and seized by the Philistines in the city of Gath, he faked insanity to avoid being detained.

Yet in the midst of intense, frightening hardship, he submitted himself to the Lord’s protection and found within this relationship the ability to say, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?” (vv. 3–4). He didn’t deny the reality of what was happening to him, but he found reason to be grateful even for his sorrows.

Perhaps it’s hard for you to find much to be thankful for today. Perhaps all you can see is what’s wrong, what hurts, and what others are doing to you. But look above your circumstances, beyond your fears, and ask God to give you a heart of praise for Him.

God, will You open my eyes to see the joy that may be hidden under and behind the tough circumstances in life? You are always doing more than I can ever see or think or know—help me to trust You are working so I can see beyond my circumstances and find joy. Thank You!