God is taking me to a new level of gratitude. He is teaching me how to be thankful for what is going on that I cannot yet see. He is also leading me to a place of thankfulness for the hard things I go through that change me more into being like Him.
I don’t like hard times; no one does. Whether it’s illness or need for provision or relationship issues, all of us sometimes struggle with our circumstances. I thought I had learned to rejoice during the hard times. Now I am learning to celebrate having distress.
I lean on God more when I hurt, no matter the cause. My human condition requires His help. I need the Holy Spirit’s leading every day. When suffering comes, it drives me into His arms deeper and more completely, a state of grace I desire to live in. My Cleft for Life is relationship with God, daily and without ceasing. Now, in times of stress and difficulty, I am beginning to appreciate that they change me and stir me to seek His face more completely.
I think I take my ability to endure daily for granted at times. I enjoy the results of the acquisition of good habits that overtake my faults/fleshly nature that have derailed pieces of my life to my detriment. But having good habits is not enough; I must run to Jesus in every situation, no matter how small the issue. I desire that my testimony that He is Lord of my life becomes apparent and visible to all who cross my path for a lifetime or a moment.
I think a song I learned many years ago is deepening in my heart. It’s from scripture, Habakkuk 3:17&18, and the song was written by Gayle Wolf and led by Kent Henry for Hosanna Music:
Habakkuk 3: 17&18
Though the fig tree does not blossom
And there is no fruit on the vines,
Though the yield of the olive fails
And the fields produce no food,
Though the flock is cut off from the fold
And there are no cattle in the stalls,
18
Yet I will [choose to] rejoice in the Lord;
I will [choose to] shout in exultation in the [victorious] God of my salvation!
Amplified Bible (AMP)
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.
It made a huge difference in my life at a very hard time. I pray it encourages others as it did me.
I also pray that I grow as God leads, rejoicing in having difficult times that make me more like Jesus.
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