This morning in the car, we were listening to a song on the radio by MercyMe called “Bring the Rain.” One of the biggest blessings of being a parent is hearing my boys sing along to praise music. I sometimes imagine angels in the car with us, jamming along as we sing.This particular song, in case you aren’t familiar with it, is especially powerful to me because it talks about praising God even when we are in a deluge of pain and suffering.

At one point during the song, Ry caught a word and asked me, “What does ‘circumstance’ mean?” I explained that it means the stuff that is happening in your life – what’s going on right now around you. I told him that the song says we need to remember to thank God even when our circumstances – whatever is happening in our lives, make us feel sad or mad. God is still in control even when we don’t feel happy or when something happens that makes us feel sad.

As I tried to explain this big word to two inquisitive preschoolers, I thought about I Thessalonians 5:18, where the Bible says to “give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” It’s easier said than done sometimes.

If I’ve learned anything through the suffering that I have experienced in my life, it is that I exist for God’s pleasure, not the other way around. God is not a magic genie who grants wishes and assures me a life of luxury. If I can’t praise God when I’m broken and weary, then what good is my worship of him when life is swell and I feel on top of the world?

I’ve talked before about not having a death wish yet yearning for eternity. This life is not permanent. It’s not my final destination. I’m not even promised tomorrow. Happenstance can feel good and make me happy, or life can throw a curve ball and make me feel gloomy. Either way, my present circumstances cannot be my reason for being.