God Is On Your Side By Nina SmitSample

Genuine Acceptance  

When life treats you harshly, you can deal with it in one of two ways: You can blame God for it and simply give up hope, or you can accept that God has a purpose for the suffering or loss in your life, and ask Him to help you accept it with grace.

When everything turned out so dreadfully for Job, right from the start he sought to make peace with his situation. We have heard many times that there is no one on Earth who experiences only good fortune. Sometimes we are able to prosper for a short while, but usually something happens that finally breaks the camel’s back, and we rebel—not only against our circumstances but against God as well. It is then that—like Job later in the chapter—we begin to throw “why” questions at God. Every one of us receives our portion of adversity that we simply must bear. The sooner we learn to do this, the better.

If you are feeling more despondent than usual today, go and read Job’s story again. When God showed Job all the marvels of His creation, Job realized how arrogant he had been to blame God for the circumstances in which he found himself. As soon as Job realized this and repented of his sin, God changed his circumstances and blessed him even more than before. 

Stop fighting with God about your problems; rather accept them as a learning curve. Then consider the majesty of God’s creation and worship Him as Job did. 

Prayer:

Lord God, like Job, I come before You and plead for forgiveness for my arrogance in questioning Your plan for my life. Help me to accept my present circumstances with serenity, grace and even joy. Please resolve my situation and bring Your peace into my life. Amen.