Allow God To Use Your Circumstances For His Glory
And Saul approved of their killing him. On that day, a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria… Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.
Acts 8:1 &4, NIV
When the early church experienced persecution, they were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Jesus talked about these places in Acts 1:8 before He resurrected to heaven, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Because of the persecutions, the disciples were able to preach the gospel and became witnesses in areas that Jesus mentioned.
The difficulties they experienced became a strong force that pushed them to preach the gospel outside Jerusalem. It seems like God used their circumstances to lead them to His will. Just like the early disciples, we will also experience not necessarily persecution but seasons of difficulties and hardships. And the question is, are we open enough to allow God to use our circumstances to lead us back to His arms?
Sometimes, we tend to question God for the unexpected things that happen in our lives. We think that bad things happen because God is mad or punishing us. But what if, just like what the disciples experienced, the struggles in life will actually lead us back to God’s will? What if He will use our circumstances to open our eyes to the things that we need to change?
Maybe we need those temporary hurdles along the journey so that we will realize what God truly wants us to do. So, instead of treating the challenges or pain as your enemy, why not treat them as God’s blessing? This may seem difficult, but what if we learn to look at the storms as God’s redirection? Perhaps we need those moments to remind us about the purpose that God planted in our hearts.
Prayer: Father God, thank you so much for giving me the chance to know your will. Thank you for those moments of redirection. Thank you for leading me back to your arms. I pray that you will fill my heart with your love, that I may not focus on the hardship that I experience. Instead, I will learn to fix my eyes on glorifying your name. Please give me the strength Lord to do what’s right, even when I don’t understand what’s happening. This I ask, Jesus’ name I pray, amen.
