Mom Heart Moments #301

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

THERE IS NO SCRIPTURE I KNOW of where God says it is okay to grumble, pout, or complain. I sure would like to find one, but so far, it’s not there. (I’m still looking!) There are, however, plenty of verses where God says to be thankful.

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. I am telling God and myself that only if my circumstances change can I be happy. 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. 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 again.

Will I drink the cup He has placed before me? As Luke 22:42 tells us, Jesus prayed in the garden, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.”

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 that 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? Pray about it.