Psalm 89:15, 17 Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence O Lord...for You are their glory and strength.

It's interesting to me how we often learn the most about God's character, His nearness, His love, His grace,
His power and provision when we are going through some "trial" of life and are unable to "fix it" our self!
I come from a "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" kind of childhood and spent many years unlearning that
mindset. Now, years later I continue to learn and embrace what a blessing it is to be in those rough times
when my world gets turned upside down or I am confronted with things I didn't expect and don't want in my life!  I've found that God tends to reveal himself to his children very clearly through the difficult, even painful times of life.  I believe it is because He knows what it is like to go through real pain, for as the scriptures tell us, Jesus was a "man of sorrows, acquainted with grief".  That is why He is so able to comfort us in our sorrow and be compassionate to us in our grief, to be our joy and strength and refuge in times of trouble.  He knows what it is to endure pain, hardship, ridicule, loss, loneliness, abandonment, rejection, temptation, testing and much more.  However, through it all, Jesus "acclaimed" (gave honor & glory to) God the Father and walked in the light of God's promises and presence and provision that He himself might be the first of many "sons" to know that God surely is his glory and strength for any situation.  

Father God, may I know today in all my circumstances your glory, power and love and be blessed that I
might also be a blessing to someone else who hurts or is in a painful place in their life. 
Jesus, you said, "In the world you WILL have tribulation, but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world."  Wow, what an amazing declaration!  Yes, Jesus you overcame the system of this world by your life, death and resurrection, securing a place and our position as sons and daughters in the Kingdom of God for anyone who will humble themselves, repent of their sin, and believe in and trust that your death and resurrection truly is the door to a new life. You give us a new life where you are always there, never forsaking us and helping us find our way through the trials and tribulations we encounter on this side of heaven. I don't always understand why certain things, painful, hard things happen in this world, but I trust  your  love that was shown to me clearly by your sacrifice of your own life on the cross and your ultimate resurrection to make me and many others a son or daughter. That makes me want to continue to learn to acclaim you even through the trials of this life.  Truly, your grace is amazing.