I wish that God incorporated a quota for the amount of suffering one person had to endure during one lifetime. We tend to be in a new trial, just as soon as we overcome the one that we recently experienced. Many times, we bring suffering on our self by our self-willed actions, however at other times “life” just happens.
Looking carefully at our circumstances and what caused them will enable us to avoid many negative experiences in the future. Prayerfully considering the cause will make us more sensitive to the leading of God’s Spirit as He sanctifies our flesh and matures our spirit.
The good news is that Christ in us walks with us through every circumstance that we encounter – even those of our own making. He is acquainted with grief, because He also endured life in this sin-cursed world and suffered in every way that we do.
His life ended by a cruel persecution and crucifixion that most of us will never experience (Hebrews 4:15; Isaiah 53:3).
When we cry out to God and He seems silent or uncaring, He has not left us (Hebrews 13:5), but He is simply waiting for us to draw closer to Him. He enjoys our companionable silences as much as our communication with Him. He loves for us to simply “hang out” as a branch on the Vine of Jesus Christ (John 15:5-7).
At times, His silence occurs because He already taught us what we need to know to victoriously endure or change our circumstances. Utilizing the Serenity Principle helps us to discern the root of our problem. If we can do something about it, we do it. If we cannot change the issues, then we readily turn them over to God.
We pray that God will give us the wisdom to know what situations we can change, and which to leave in His capable hands. Then, we ask Him for the strength and wisdom to deal with the concerns that He reveals are our responsibility, as we turn the rest over to the Him. We go about all of our days in the peace of God that passes all human understanding (Philippians 4:7).
Prayer:
Father God, at times, we need You to help us to develop an attitude of acceptance about our issues. If we cannot change them, then we praise You for them, in them, and through them, even for the negative things. By doing this, we end up walking in complete serenity and in the dynamic power of Your Spirit.
Help us to realize that Your silence is not proof that You do not care about us, but rather that You are inviting us to draw closer to You, to rest in You, and to wait on You (Psalm 27:14, 37:7; James 4:8). Teach us to develop the habit of prioritizing our life and agenda according to Your guidance and not our own perspective.
Thought for the Day:
Instead of seeking God for His blessings and interventions, let us seek Him for a deeper intimacy with His presence within us, to learn to trust Him with our whole heart, and to consult Him for His path for every moment of our life; we wait on Him even when our life is running smoothly, and we trust Him even when the answers to our prayers are not what we expected.
- Proverbs 3:5-6
