Thoughts

Up earlier than usual ... puppies don't sleep well after 7. Up the stairs to fill a cup with coffee and take the puppies outside.  The liquid sends white, wisps of steam swirling, they can be seen clearly against the dark blue cup.  Early morning sun just peeking down the street as I step out into the morning cool.  Puppies on the grass.  Morning dew on the grass tickles my bare feet.  Puppies don't like the cool wetness and come to sit and snuggle on my feet. I watch, sipping coffee, thinking of my reading from the night before ...

"God does not willingly bring affliction or grief to us.  He does not delight in causing us to experience pain or heartache.  He always has a purpose for the grief He brings or allows to come into our lives.  Most often we do not know what that purpose is, but it is enough to know that His infinite wisdom and perfect love have determined that the particular sorrow is best for us.  God never wastes pain.  He always uses it to accomplish His purpose.  And His purpose is for His glory and our good.

 Trusting God in the midst of our pain and heartache means that we accept it from Him.  There is a vast difference between acceptance and either resignation or submission.  We can resign ourselves to a difficult situation, simply because we see no other alternative.  Many people do that all the time.  Or we can submit to the sovereignty of God in our circumstances with a certain amount of reluctance.  But to truly accept our pain and heartache has the connotation of willingness. An attitude of acceptance says that we trust God, that He loves us, and knows what is best for us.

Acceptance does not mean that we do not pray for [those things dear to our heart] ... {For an end to the seeming endless singleness} ... We should indeed pray for those things, but we should pray in a trusting way.  We should realize that, though God can do all things, for infinitely wise and loving reasons, He may not do that which we pray that He will do.  How do we know how long to pray?  As long as we can pray trustingly, with an attitude of acceptance of His will, we should pray as long as the desire remains."

~ Jerry Bridges, Trusting God (Chapter 6, Point 5)