Accepting God’s Will – Genesis 4:6
Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?
When faced with affairs that would cause our countenance to fall were we to be of little faith, we do well to guard our hearts and spirits, refusing to become angry and unsettled.
For a downcast spirit is incompatible with steadfast faith in an omnipotent God, the One who is always beside us, loving us, holding our hand, and watching over us.[1] Giving into anger and depression leads us into sin’s lair where our enemy is crouching in the darkness, ready to pounce on the one who staggers in. Though disaster may appear to be at your door, though all may look awry, though frightful outcomes seem imminent, stand in God’s grace, refusing to give in to resentment and despair. Rather than taking the danger-ridden path where unbelief leads, choose the way of the Old Testament saints, and climb to towering heights and observe from the safety of God’s loving-kindness the chaos below. Ask the Lord to open your eyes, so you may see the angels on the hillside and know that He is in control of every event under the heavens.[2] Believe in His devotion to you, and having grasped a hint of His power exercised in grace, trust that He will perform justice and provide abundance. Understand that He who cares for you will use the approaching apocalypse for good for His beloved. Comprehend that God’s love is real and that His control over the universe is absolute. Stand in faith, and when you done all to stand, stand firm.[3]
If we trust in the Lord, believing in His goodness and faithfulness, we have no cause to be crestfallen since whatever happens is within God’s good plan for us.[4] As our help and protector, He wants us to rest in Him through our afflictions.[5] As we listen, He assures us that nothing is too difficult for Him to use for His glory and for our good, and He promises us that when it is beneficial to us, He will give us our hearts’ desires.
Rejoice, though an enemy’s army is
forming on your border. Though its
attacks are breaking your heart and making you fearful, rejoice, and set your
heart on knowing the Lord in His awesome power, abundant loving-kindness, and
steadfast faithfulness.[6] Walk along glory’s
roadway, trusting that as you obey the Lord’s instructions and remain close to
Him, He will lift your countenance, bringing you into a place of joy and peace.[7]
Lord, teach my heart to rejoice, always
Teach it to trust You, to believe that You have a plan for me,
A good plan, a desirable plan, a joyous plan, a plan worth anticipating,
A plan worth waiting for, knowing that in Your perfect timing, it will come to fruition
Teach my heart to rest in You, to live in the joy of the day, which You have made
Teach it to love deeply, truly, faithfully, steadfastly, unconditionally
Not in expectation of what love can do for me,
but in the hope of what love can do through me
Teach it to obey, to listen, to seek, to desire You above all else
To go where You lead, to abide where You abide,
To tread on the road that You have laid before me
And to keep my feet from the forbidden way
Lord, teach me about Yourself that I might rejoice in You
[1] Isaiah 42:6
[2] 2 Kings 6:17
[3] Ephesians 6:13-14
[4] Jeremiah 29:11
[5] Hosea 5:15
[6] Hosea 6:3
[7] Genesis 4:7
