Surrender

“The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” In all this, Job did not sin with his lips.” (Job 1:21; 2:10)

Friend, are you suffering loss today? Loss of health? Loss of a loved one? Disappointment? Unfulfilled longings? Does it cause you to turn against God or toward Him? 

All these are reminders that we are living in a fallen world. This is not part of God’s original plan. Genesis 2:31 tells us that, “God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was VERY GOOD.” If we continue reading in Genesis chapter 3, we see how man heeded the voice of the tempter, Satan himself! The one who came to steal, kill, and destroy! (John 10:10) The one who transforms himself as an angel of light to snare God’s people by the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life! (2 Corinthians 11:14; 1 John 2:16) His famous words of, “Has God indeed said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” (Genesis 3:1) brought doubt to mankind that God was and is indeed good. 

Friend, are you doubting God’s goodness? Are you listening to the lies of the tempter today? Reject them! We know that God is good, always! He takes what was meant for evil (trouble, hurt, disappointment) and turns it for our good! (Genesis 50:20; Romans 8:28) “Feed your faith and your doubts will starve to death.” Listen to the voice of truth! Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father, but by Me.” (John 14:6) You do not need to live a defeated life! You can be victorious over the enemy! Feed on the truth that will set you free! (John 8:32) Then with Job, you can say, “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21) 

Don’t forget that a day is coming when God will wipe away every tear, there will be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any pain: for the former things will be passed away. (Revelations 21:4)

Jessie Rose Gates penned these words of surrender,

There is a peace that cometh after sorrow,

Of hope surrendered, not of hope fulfilled;

A peace that looketh not upon tomorrow,

But calmly on a tempest that it stilled.

A peace that lives not now in joy's excesses,

Nor in the happy life of love secure;

But in the unerring strength the heart possesses,

Of conflicts won while learning to endure.

A peace there is, in sacrifice secluded,

A life subdued, from will and passion free;

'Tis not the peace that over Eden brooded,

But that which triumphed in Gethsemane.