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Are you feeling ready to walk away from a relationship – are you possibly even considering divorce? We want to pray for you.
Join us for our Daily Devotional Chat today in our Women’s Chatroom at 10:30 am EDT.
What about your struggles? Is there any chance, any possibility, that you have been selected to struggle for God’s glory? Have you “been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake” (Philippians 1:29)?
Here is a clue. Do your prayers seem to be unanswered? What you request and what you receive aren’t matching up? Don’t think God is not listening. Indeed he is. He may have higher plans.
Here is another. Are people strengthened by your struggles? A friend of mine can answer yes. His cancer was consuming more than his body; it was eating away at his faith. Unanswered petitions perplexed him. Well-meaning Christians confused him. “If you have faith,” they said, “you will be healed.”
No healing came. Just more chemo, nausea, and questions. He assumed the fault was a small faith. I suggested another answer. “It’s not about you,” I told him. “Your hospital room is a showcase for your Maker. Your faith in the face of suffering cranks up the volume of God’s song.”
Oh, that you could have seen the relief on his face. To know that he hadn’t failed God and God hadn’t failed him—this made all the difference. Seeing his sickness in the scope of God’s sovereign plan gave his condition a sense of dignity. He accepted his cancer as an assignment from heaven: a missionary to the cancer ward.
A week later I saw him again. “I reflected God,” he said, smiling through a thin face, “to the nurse, the doctors, my friends. Who knows who needed to see God, but I did my best to make him seen.”
Bingo. His cancer paraded the power of Jesus down the Main Street of his world.
God will use whatever he wants to display his glory. Heavens and stars. History and nations. People and problems.
Rather than begrudge your problem, explore it. Ponder it. And most of all, use it. Use it to the glory of God.
Through your problems and mine, may God be seen.
From It’s Not About Me
© (Thomas Nelson, 2007),
Max Lucado
Used by permission
Questions: How is God using you to reflect His glory? How are people around you strengthened by your struggles?
About the Author Max Lucado
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Thank you for the daily devotionals. I do appreciate them so much. Today’s devotional was especially applicable because it is easy to forget that God shines brightest when our struggles glorify Him. Sue
This devotion really hit home for me today. I dont have an illness but my husband and I are going through a devasting bankruptcy case right now due to the failure of a small business. We are in the process of trying to keep our home. We are truly believeing that God will allow us to keep our home because we know that He gave it to us in the first place. But our attorney has not given us any hope at all. I believe that we can be witnesses to Gods power in this to our attorney now after reading this devotion. Thank you.
it hit the nail right on the head! I get caught up in thinking it’s all about me! I know it’s just me, I live in a house full of people that think it’s all them. Very unhealthy! Time to recite the serenity Prayer
Your devotional has really lifted my spirit today. God is at work in us.
It’s a wonderful thing to be used by God and we sometimes miss opportunities to show God’s infinite wisdom because we are looking for a way out instead of going through so God can show off. Many times I have prayed for God to get rid of this or help get me out of that and then realized that this is an chance to grow in the Lord to experience His grace and mercy to KNOW with out a shadow of debt that He is the one and only true and living God, that He is my strength, that no weapon formed against me can prosper. God is the only one that gets the glory for these things.
After years of being saved I found myself saying is all there is, until I ask GOD to give me something that only he could give and if it was his will to give me strength. On that night it was pouring rain and I couldn’t see so I pulled over and prayed again. That night he released me to my prayer. It’s not about me it’s about who he is and his will not our. You see I made a mess of things in my life. The only thing I didn’t make a mess of was…trusting in him. Now I am no longer in bondage of the past, but living for him. Ask for his will because he knows what you need. If I told you the whole story you would not belive what he gave me after 20 years. You see it took that long for me to ask in the right way. My prayer is for wisdom and that he will show me and I believe that if I follow him all else will fall into place. God is why I live now. And my new husband that I love.
Max,
Great devotional. Thank you.
I am a stroke survivor and also have been diagnosed with Lupus. So, you can see, this devotional “talks” to me.
I pray each day I may reflect the love of Jesus and I can do God’s will and serve Him.
Everybody can use a smile and a good attitude which we can share with them.
Blessings, to you all.
Debbie, I prayed you will be able to keep your house. Please let us know. When do you go to court again, so we can be praying for you.
Thank you sisters, for sharing your deep thoughts. Thank you Pastor Lucado, for sharing this. It was deep and ‘troubling’ in a way, b/c it challenges us to look at issues differently. Thank you for sharing & praying, sisters. I pray God is with you & helps you through your problems. Pls, if you can lift up a quick prayer for me, as I’m beginning a new job soon, and for protection. Thank you & God bless you.
deddie i known how you feel we just went thur one due to medical bills. we are 60,and 58 we let our home go cause health and age,god took care of us we have a very cute small home 2 dogs,1 cat we are 2 happy love brids. love of christ and love ones is very rich,just trust in the lord he will take care.all of you are in my prays.
That really speaks to me especially when some one wants to know why do people get cancer and how could it be turned into something positive its a great testimony of Gods faithfulness thank you
I have been encountering alot of problems right now.My mom and my dad is always fighting. my dad is very irresponsible. thank you so much for the article…i was reminded of God’s love