The Habit of Enjoying Adversity

I was reading the daily devotional from the "My Utmost for His Highest" website yesterday & was struck by what was being shared. As most of you know I have had an ongoing battle with insomnia [almost 4 yrs now] & more recently, intense searing pain which has become an almost constant companion to me. It's reality has touched every part of my life. Perhaps you or someone you know is in a similar place. I hope you find the following excerpt encouraging & challenging.

The only thing that will enable me to enjoy adversity is the acute sense of eagerness of allowing the life of the Son of God to evidence itself in me. No matter how difficult something may be, I must say, "Lord, I am delighted to obey You in this." Instantly, the Son of God will move to the forefront of my life, and will manifest in my body that which glorifies Him.

You must not debate. The moment you obey the light of God, His Son shines through you in that very adversity; but if you debate with God, you grieve His Spirit (see Ephesians 4:30 ). You must keep yourself in the proper condition to allow the life of the Son of God to be manifested in you, and you cannot keep yourself fit if you give way to self-pity. Our circumstances are the means God uses to exhibit just how wonderfully perfect and extraordinarily pure His Son is.

Discovering a new way of manifesting the Son of God should make our heart beat with renewed excitement. It is one thing to choose adversity, and quite another to enter into adversity through the orchestrating of our circumstances by God’s sovereignty. And if God puts you into adversity, He is adequately sufficient to "supply all your need"
(Philippians 4:19).

I was challenged & encouraged by these words. If I am understanding this correctly, God's sovereignty is at the center; the core of my circumstances. How often & how easily I forget that since God is sovereign over everything in my life nothing in my life is a surprise to Him & nothing happens to me that He has not orchestrated. But it remains true, so... how do I respond to that? So often I find myself debating my difficulties with God. Just because I may not like my circumstances does not give me justification to grumble about them. If I take on the attitude that I am not just willing but "delighted" to obey God in my difficulties, what blessing; what joys lay in store for me - that "the Son of God move to the forefront of my life & will manifest in me that which glorifies Him". Wow! Now that's worth dwelling on!

Shine,
Nick