On accepting the will of the Lord…
"It is the LORD. Let Him do what seems good to Him."—1 Samuel 3:18
On being consoled by remembering God’s mighty deeds
I cried out to God with my voice—
To God with my voice;
And He gave ear to me.
In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord;
My hand was stretched out in the night without ceasing;
My soul refused to be comforted.
I remembered God, and was troubled;
I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed.
Selah
You hold my eyelids open;
I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
I have considered the days of old,
The years of ancient times.
I call to remembrance my song in the night;
I meditate within my heart,
And my spirit makes diligent search.
Will the Lord cast off forever?
And will He be favorable no more?
Has His mercy ceased forever?
Has His promise failed forevermore?
Has God forgotten to be gracious?
Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies?
Selah
And I said, "This is my anguish;
But I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High."
I will remember the works of the LORD;
Surely I will remember Your wonders of old.
I will also meditate on all Your work,
And talk of Your deeds.
Your way, O God, is in the sanctuary;
Who is so great a God as our God?
You are the God who does wonders;
You have declared Your strength among the peoples.
You have with Your arm redeemed Your people,
The sons of Jacob and Joseph.
Selah
The waters saw You, O God;
The waters saw You, they were afraid;
The depths also trembled.
The clouds poured out water;
The skies sent out a sound;
Your arrows also flashed about.
The voice of Your thunder was in the whirlwind;
The lightnings lit up the world;
The earth trembled and shook.
Your way was in the sea,
Your path in the great waters,
And Your footsteps were not known.
You led Your people like a flock
By the hand of Moses and Aaron.—Psalm 77
On being content…
Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.—Philippians 4:11-13
Beloved…Paul learned the “secret” of being content in any circumstance. The word contentment in our Bible carries the meaning of being sufficient. Paul uses the same Greek root in Philippians 4 as he does in 2 Corinthians 12:9a, “... My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Paul secret was simply that he learned (and practice IS required) to depend on the Lord’s grace for help.
Therefore let us [with privilege] approach the throne of grace [that is, the throne of God's gracious favor] with confidence and without fear, so that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find [His amazing] grace to help in time of need [an appropriate blessing, coming just at the right moment].—Hebrews 4:16 AMP
Admitting weakness and humbly seeking help from God doesn’t come naturally to me. I don’t know about you, but my flesh is strong and my pride doesn’t like to surrender. Each time we do, however, our spirit gets stronger and our flesh weaker. And THAT is such a good thing because when we are weak then He is strong. Outside there are conflicts, inside are fears, BUT NEVERTHELESS GOD…
Jesus was enough whether Paul was well fed or hungry. The AMPLIFIED puts it this way…
I can do all things [which He has called me to do] through Him who strengthens and empowers me [to fulfill His purpose—I am self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency; I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses me with inner strength and confident peace.]—Philippians 4:13
My new mantra when I am tempted to give way to faithlessness and fear is simply this.
JESUS IS ENOUGH…
Whatever I face, whatever happens…even if all my worse fears are realized…
JESUS IS ENOUGH
He will see me through all. His grace is sufficient. I will remember His mighty deeds in MY life. I will remember His comforting and consoling kindnesses in all my afflictions. Like Eli, in 1 Samuel, I will remember that it is the Lord…let Him do as seems good to Him.
