“In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: Surely God has appointed the one as well as the other, so that man can find out nothing that will come after him.”
– Ecclesiastes 7:14
Christians understand that the Lord orders the circumstances of their daily lives. When we remember this, the pressures of life are quenched. The Holy Spirit gives us peace to endure because we recognize that the “Rock of Ages” carries us.
God has seen fit to allow times of prosperity and adversity in His wisdom and might. During successes, we should be glad, joyful, and thankful. However, the opposite is not true when God allows times of adversity in His sovereignty. During these seasons, we are instructed to remain joyful, not discouraged and discontented (James 1:2-4).
Sometimes, the Lord does not want us to know what will happen next in our lives. His ways are beyond finding out (Romans 11:33). His steps are as the shifting sands beneath the oceans, and His footsteps are unknown (Psalm 77:19). We cannot determine God’s next move. This can be both a mercy and a frustration. Frustrating because we cannot anticipate a direction. Mercy, however, because we must rely on Him for every step of our lives. During days of adversity, we must stop, consider what we are learning, and rest, knowing the Lord is in control.
“If there be anything that can render the soul calm, dissipate its scruples and dispel its fears, sweeten its sufferings by the anointing of love, impart strength to all its actions, and spread abroad the joy of the Holy Spirit in its countenance and words, it is this simple and childlike repose in the arms of God.”
– S.D. Gordon
surrendered devotions 