This morning's devotional was titled "We Pray for Blessings, but What Kind?".
"When you pray for blessings, what kind do you pray for? If you're like most of us, you probably pray for things like health, wealth, and safety for yourself and your loved ones. And, if you're like most of us, you're probably disappointed if God doesn't give you the things you've asked for.
...Time and again, the Bible teaches us that God is sovereign and that He reigns over His creation. Our Heavenly Father has a plan for the world and for our lives. He does not do things by accident, but we cannot always understand His purposes. Why? Because we are mortal beings with limited understanding. And although we cannot fully comprehend the will of God, we should always do our best to trust the will of God even when we don't receive the things we've prayed for."
This really spoke to my heart this morning. There have been many times throughout this journey where I have just begged God to allow me to be pregnant and to have a healthy baby. But, the longer I stay on this road of uncertainty, the more I surrender to God and truly trust in His plan for my life. I can honestly say that my prayer these past few months have been for God to change the desire of my heart to be that of desiring His will over my desire to be pregnant again. I truly want to want His will and His perfect timing for our next pregnancy, even if it means we have to wait that much longer.
The devotional goes on to talk about the "art of acceptance", which is such a beautiful place to be (it took me FOREVER to get there but now that I've arrived, it's truly a place that brings about so much peace and patience!).
"When events transpire that are beyond our control, we have a clear choice: we can either learn the art of acceptance, or we can make ourselves miserable as we struggle to change the unchangeable.
Learning the art of acceptance is difficult for most of us, but not impossible. Can you summon the courage and the wisdom to accept life on its own terms? Can you do it today?"
The path of infertility is definitely a path that is unchangeable within our own control. It's a journey that is completely placed in God's hands and His power. I think the hardest part of being a Christian is understanding that God does not always answer our prayers when we want Him to and that simply being a Christian does not prevent us from going through hard times. But, I firmly believe that it's through the hard seasons in life that we grow and mature. If it weren't for these seasons we would be stagnant and our faith would not be challenged and strengthened.
These blessings found in the midst of our trials and struggles are the eternal blessings that just might not be what we prayed for but are so amazingly beautiful and precious and exactly what we needed! God always shows up, His timing and His ways are always perfect!
I love these quotes that go along with today's devotional:
Prayer is request. The essence of request, as distinct from compulsion, is that it may or may not be granted. And if an infinitely wise being listens to the requests of finite and foolish creatures, of course He will sometimes grant and sometimes refuse them.
-C.S. Lewis
If God chooses to remain silent, faith is content.
-Ruth Bell Graham
Our Lord never asks us to decide for Him; He asks us to yield to Him- a very different matter.
-Oswald Chambers
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