Think Victory! Accept the Circumstances

ACCEPT THE CIRCUMSTANCES
“And we know that in ALL things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to his purposes.” Romans 8:28

Following through yesterday’s devotional, PRESSED OUT PRESSED IN – this is a good follow-up story:

“The reason why you are in that “place” today is simply in order that you might trust God. Do not pull strings. Do not hold committee meetings. Do not wangle things. Do not manipulate. Do not scheme, and do not plan. Sit still and trust God, and He will deliver you from your self-despair, from the sentence of death. Then the second thing is that we must be willing to ACCEPT THE CIRCUMSTANCES of the hour, and believe that ALL things work together for good to them that are called of God. We must be prepared to accept our circumstances as they are. I believe that quite a lot of people grieve the Spirit of God just at this particular place. They are not prepared to accept the circumstances of their lives, as God has given them, and allowed them to come.

I remember meeting a lady during the war, and I said, ‘How are you getting on?
‘Well,’ she said, ‘I am very well UNDER the circumstances.’And I asked, ‘How is your husband?’‘He’s in the Armed Forces and under the circumstances he’s all right.’‘And how’s your daughter?’‘She is in the army, and what can you expect under the circumstances?’

This dear lady had the whole family ‘UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES!’ And circumstances are like a feather bed: if you are on top you are comfortable, but if you are underneath, you are smothered.

I have in my office some words which were written by Samuel Rutherford, which, apart from the Scriptures, mean more to me than any other words. The words are simply these: “EXPOSE YOURSELF TO THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF HIS CHOICE!”

What does this mean? It means that when you and I present ourselves to God in the morning, and present the day to Him, nothing can come into your day that is not allowed by the PERMISSIVE will of God. Everything has its place, and everything has its purpose. Such things may come in as cut right across our own little plans; such things might disturb, as might change: but if we have committed our way to God, everything that comes into that day is allowed by His permissive will.

We do not rebel against it, because that only embitters the soul, and loses the very blessing that God wants to give us; but we expose ourselves to it. We say, ‘O God, I accept this, and I accept it cheerfully; in fact, I rejoice IN it, because there is some lesson that You want to teach me. And I believe that the greatest lesson of all that YOU want to teach me, is just to trust YOU when I can’t see you. Accept the circumstances, then, as they are.” From HIS VICTORIOUS INDWELLING (Zondervan)

So how about you, today? Are you pressed out? Living UNDER the circumstances? How about learning with me today – ACCEPT THE CIRCUMSTANCES knowing that Romans 8:28 is indeed true!

Great quote: Any victory that does not more than conquer is just an imitation victory. While we are suppressing and wrestling, we are only imitating victory. If Christ lives in us, we will rejoice in everything, and we will thank and praise the Lord. We will say, "Hallelujah! Praise the Lord" forever. Watchman Nee