Be exalted, O God, in my trials

When you inevitably face adversity, there are a number of ways to respond. Perhaps you could ignore God completely and try to fight on your own. Maybe you can ask Him for help, but complain if He doesn't appear to help. A common response is to curse Him. But the best response is to glorify Him, knowing full well that doing so is what we were designed for in the first place.

In His infinite wisdom, God is able to put our enemies in exactly the right place, at exactly the right time, so that He receives the most glory. Sometimes, if we're lucky, that means delivering us from them. This is the ultimate end, because no matter what happens in this life, an eternity of living in God's presence awaits those who love Him. But on the flip side, God is just as glorified by a faithful martyr, like Stephen, as by a conquering king, like David.

In your darkest times, it is essential to say, as David, "be exalted, O God, above the heavens; Let your glory be above all the earth". In doing so, your enemies have no power over you what so ever. There is nothing they can take from you, nothing they can do to you, that will even be worthy to be compared to what God has in store for you. There is no scenario in which you will suffer loss when the Lord is your gain.