Once upon a time in a far away land in the sky lived God who is the greatest, kindest, wisest, richest, most loving, gracious, tender, moral, wholesome, powerful, creative, generous Being who ever was or can be. His job description is that He runs things. Being love personified, His great, altruistic heart compelled Him to create humans to love and be loved in return, but this posed two challenges. He must give us the option to reject Him lest we be exploited. He must also give us the option to love and obey Him for who He is rather than for what we get from Him lest we attempt to exploit Him.

His solution? Step #1. He created a gazillion angels as free moral agents who are to praise Him for His worthiness (to be God). A lead-angel, Lucifer, was created "full of wisdom" and "perfect in beauty" (Ezek. 28:11-17). He became so proud he believed himself superior to God and led a third of the angels in a failed hostile takeover of God's throne. So God changed them into Satan and his demons and exiled them to Earth. They blew their one chance to love and obey God. They have no Savior. Although the remaining angels continued their praises, the unanswered questions Lucifer had raised about God's worthiness remained—does God deserve my praise? Is there someone worthier?

Next God initiated step #2. He created man and placed him on Earth of all places! He loved Adam but warned him that if he rebelled he'd die, but Adam believed Satan's lie and rejected God by declaring his independence—to be his own man, to be all that he could be in his own strength. Adam's descendants now number in the billions, most of who consider independence, self-reliance, self-sufficiency, self-confidence, etc. virtuous, not sinful. Does that shoe fit you?

Then, God initiated step #3—Operation Rescue by grace. God's Son volunteered to inhabit an earthsuit, become identified with our condemnation, and vicariously suffer and die for our rebellion.

God then initiated step #4 by raising Christ from the dead, demonstrating that He is satisfied with Jesus' sacrifice. What awesome grace! "Worthy is the Lamb! God is worthy!" cried the angels as they saw such amazing grace poured out on unworthy humanity. God proved His infinite worthiness by this astounding act of love and He continues to do so.

The question is do you agree that God is worthy when He doesn't act like you want Him to? Your praise or lack thereof demonstrates that you either love God, or simply act like it for what you can get from Him, e.g. heaven when you die. God said, "When (not if) you…pass through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When (not if) you walk through the fire…the flame will not burn you" (Isa. 43:2). Jesus said, "In the world you have tribulation" (Jn. 16:33). Tough circumstances will happen to Christians. However, God promises not to let any circumstance go to waste for those who love Him. Tough times provide you the opportunity to cast your vote for God's worthiness or against it by the way you act. As you praise God He'll do one of two things:
(1) remove the circumstance (deliverance)
(2) or give us so much grace that you'll be grateful for having experienced it.

Haven't you said, I wouldn't go through that again for anything, but I wouldn't take anything for what I learned through it? Sure.

Let me tell you about some friends who've either been delivered from or given grace to endure tough circumstances:

• Bill, Frank, Gary and Jim strengthen the faith of all who know them by praising God with a joyous attitude through their treatment of cancer.
• Bob and Judy "cast their burden on the Lord" while ministering to their beloved daughter who is shackled inside with an incurable diseased earthsuit.
• Cathy praised Christ's strength in her as she ministered to her husband as his earthsuit was dying.
• Carroll retired before age fifty as vice president of an international corporation, only to lose a huge portion of his nest egg in a business venture. He was humbled by returning to the work force, yet continues to praise God.
• Don was downsized from his thirty-year management position, yet praised God through many months of unemployment
• Janie left her cancer-ridden earthsuit behind after bringing great glory to God by praising His worthiness and showing us how to die in grace.
• Joyce casts her burden on the Lord as she watches her beloved husband sink slowly into solitary confinement in an Alzheimer-razed earthsuit.
• Larry and Joy affirm God's worthiness as they agape a beloved child as she seeks fulfillment in the fleshpots of the world.

All these Christians "bring to light…the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God… in order that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ…" (Eph. 3:9-11 emphasis mine). You are "Exhibit A" that God displays to both His earthly and heavenly creation as evidence of His worthiness to hold down His job! He saved you purely by grace; He sustains you purely by grace; you live purely by grace; you can die victoriously purely by grace; and you will reign forever with Christ purely by grace. To God (not man) be all glory!

So how are you acting in tough circumstances? Do you murmur and complain when your circumstances don't suit you or choose to praise God's worthiness regardless of how you feel? It's fine to ask God to change them; Jesus did, but with a disclaimer¹. Griping about them sends the tacit message to both men and angels that you believe God is not worthy to hold His job, that you could do it better. Praising Him through thick and thin, however, says you'd vote for Him if He had to run for daily re-election. The way you act in adverse circumstances determines whether you're part of God's problem or a key player in proclaiming His solution.