"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
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Lately, I have been working through a bit of a heartbreak that has been going on for many years. I think I thought If I was mature or became older and seasoned, I would not struggle so much. Yet, the battle against a broken world where we can be hurt, disappointed, lonely, discouraged is what all of us are up against every day. Western cultural messages often lead us to believe that we should expect happily ever after, love that is easy, riches that will just miraculously drop out of the sky.
Yet, everyone I know has to work hard every month to keep paying bills. All the people that I know are subject to illness and calamity and tension in relationships, because all of us are in a world separated from God’s goodness from the beginning. I wish I had better understood this when I was younger. I wish I had know better that God is not picking on me when life is hard, but that He is so humble and generous, He is with me through every day, every tear, every disappointment.
And my part? My part is to be honest, tell him how I feel and what is hard, just as the psalmists did. And then to move to a place of worship, that acknowledges that, because He is faithful and good, “All things work together for those who move Him.” Note that it does not say all things are good, but all things will eventually, over time, work together for us as we walk by faith and allow Him to lead.
There is no Scripture that I know of where God says it is okay to grumble, pout or complain as a way of life. I sure would like to find one, but it's not there (I'm still looking!) There are, however, plenty of verses where God says to be thankful and to learn to be content. But what I have learned is that it is for my best that I learn to move from pouring out my heart to choosing to honor His presence by choosing to be thankful.
When I'm facing difficult circumstances, that verse at the top of this page can be a very annoying! If I consider the alternatives to being thankful, though, I can readily see God's point. When I pout instead of being joyful, grumble instead of praying, and complain instead of giving thanks, I am in effect telling God that He is mishandling my life and I don't like it. At that point, I have ceased to put my faith in my sovereign Lord, and have chosen to put my faith in my circumstances. In other words, I am telling God and myself, that if my circumstances change, then and only then can I be happy. Until then, I have nothing to be thankful for. And that, according to Paul, is when I step out of God's will.
Embracing the Lord's will for my life means accepting the exact set of circumstances He has handed me, one day at a time. Sometimes, I have to remind myself to accept them one moment at a time! Today, I have a choice to make. Will I grumble and complain? Will I stomp and lament and wonder why He isn't changing things?
(I do that, sometimes.)
It takes an act of my will and the grace of the Holy Spirit to pull myself back into line. I have to remind myself that God is for me; He loves me; He knows what is best for me and He is able to take everything that affects me and work it out for His pleasure and my good.
Our children are watching our responses as we walk through difficulties. They want to know if we really believe the things we teach them. They need to see us lean into Jesus in those times.
Will we drink the cup He has placed before us? Many years ago the Lord asked me this question. As Jesus prayed in the Garden ...
"Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done."~Luke 22:42
I think it's important to see here that Jesus did ask for the cup to be removed! We are not offending God when we ask Him to change our circumstances. But when we pray and He doesn't change them; when the fires rage or the waters rise ... it's there we find the question remains: Will I drink this cup? Will I do it with grace?
How about you? What cup is the Lord asking you to drink? Let's pray for one another.
If you are listening to this podcast, know that we care for you, for your struggles and are praying for you today. May you have the grace to find strength and to bear your cross well, with His strength and love.
We hope you’ll enjoy this podcast, where Misty and I talk about some of the ways life has been more difficult than we expected—but God is good.
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