Even if you are broken into thousand pieces, God still loves you! Never doubt this!

There have been times when I’ve thought, “I’ll never be encouraged.” Yet as soon as I begin to remind myself of His mercy and goodness, the clouds disperse. Now this doesn’t mean that those problems will suddenly disappear or that it will be smooth sailing from here on out, but it does mean that my face will brighten again and the weight of the burden will lessen. I’ll be able to experience the joy of the Lord in the midst of life’s storms and challenges.

It is possible to praise the Lord in hardship. In one sense, it’s a choice, not a feeling. It becomes a kind of personal battle cry. Even when our run has slowed to a crawl and our shout has died down to a whimper — we can wait on our good Father with fierce expectation. He is faithful and true. If we can’t praise him for our circumstances, we can praise him in spite of them.