Both In and For

Good morning, my friend!  Good morning, Father!

“And give thanks FOR everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” - Ephesians 5:20 (emphasis mine).

Lord, this is a hard verse.  I Thessalonians 5:18 is much easier to accept which says, “Be thankful IN all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus” (emphasis mine). We can conceive of thanking You while we are IN a season of suffering or pain, but the thought of thanking You FOR it is quite another.  How do we scrape up the wherewithal to praise and thank You for the very things we have dreaded and prayed would never happen?  How do we thank You for the lost job, the bad diagnosis, the drug addiction of a child, the betrayal, the debt or the death?  These are such hard things, Lord.  

We often feel like a child that is fearful of needles.  We are sick and want desperately to get better, but we are terrified of shots.  What happens inside our body to fight infection and disease as a result of the shot is invisible.  We can’t see it.  We have to take it on faith that facing the fear and wincing pain of our prescription will do the work in us that we need.  You remind me, “That’s why we are not discouraged. No, even if outwardly we are wearing out, inwardly we are being renewed each and every day. This light, temporary nature of our suffering is producing for us an everlasting weight of glory, far beyond any comparison, because we do not look for things that can be seen but for things that cannot be seen. For things that can be seen are temporary, but things that cannot be seen are eternal.” - 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” - James 1:2-4

Father, we take You at Your Word today.  I lift my friend before You.  Together we bring to mind the very things we are praying against, the things we hate, dread and beg a reprieve from.  We don’t fully understand it, but we take these things in hand this morning.  Even now we feel the tears beginning in our eyes.  We declare You, Lord of All.  We lift these things up in honor to Your name and we praise and thank You for them.  This sacrifice of praise, this offering in the dying to our flesh, receive it as a sweet smelling savor.  May it be holy and acceptable to You (Romans 12:1).  Father, in the dying to our flesh, may the resurrected Christ become alive within us.  Transform us into a beautiful reflection of Your son.  Be with us on the altar.  Overshadow us the crucible.  Burn away all that is unholy and not of You.  We thank You, Lord, for the sweet reminder of Romans 8:28,  “... we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”  We thank You that what the enemy intends for evil, You will turn for our good (Genesis 50:20).  We thank You IN and FOR our circumstances.  We worship You through our tears.  Complete Your work in us to Your glory and for our good.  In Jesus Name ❤️

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