To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven
Ecclesiastes 3:1
Lately my prayer has been, “Lord, make me to be the person YOU want me to be.”
If I truly desire for God to mold me and refine me, I must be willing for Him to use the tools necessary to do that process. Only He knows what is best for me and what will hit the deep ravines of my heart. He knows what it will take to burn away the dross.
Oftentimes, though, tough circumstances come, and I don’t really want them to hang around long. They do not produce that warm, fuzzy feeling inside. Instead, they are apt to provoke feelings of fear, anger, and pessimism… feelings of giving up.
We do all we can to prevent bad circumstances. We save money, care for our health, invest in our relationships, create schedules, and do other noble things to preserve the good order we have in life. When that order is shaken, we want to run and hide and quickly find the fix that will make everything better.
In the end, though, God is testing our hearts. He wants to see if we will be like Job. Sure, we all love to talk about Job and how great he was, but are we willing to be like him?
Are we willing to remain steadfast in the midst of our circumstances and praise the Lord who made us, trusting in His goodness and love?
Are we willing to be made into the people HE wants us to be….
not who WE think we should be?
Dear God, help us to surrender our lives to You.
In Jesus’ name.
You don't know how timely this post is for me. Everything you said is so true! My natural tendency is to want all the difficult things in my life to go away as soon as possible, but if they do, I may miss what God is teaching me through them. My prayer is that God will help me to look for what I am to learn through the experience before I wish it away. Sometimes going through difficult times is the only way I will learn and ultimately become what He wants me to be.
ReplyDeleteTrials and tribulations have a divine purpose. The wise ride out the storm acknowledging God in all His ways, and see that these circumstances help to mold our character and build our faith. It's odd to think one can "rejoice in our sufferings" but we can b/c God is in control of it. And b/c He's in control, I can surrender, I can trust, especially when He leaves me no other choice! Praise the Lord! Good Word Lisa, Thank You...
ReplyDeleteThank you for the reminder that can can only mold me as much as I surrender to Him. Sometimes I say, "I surrender", but my heart still hangs on.
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