Recall that Hannah, the mother of Samuel, suffered deep distress and provocation because of her inability to conceive (1 Samuel 1:1-11). Consider these words that she prayed after God granted her heartfelt plea, giving her a son whom she then handed over to the Lord:<\/p>\n
The Lord kills and brings to life;
\nhe brings down to Sheol and raises up.
\nThe Lord makes poor and makes rich;
\nhe brings low and he exalts.
\nHe raises up the poor from the dust;
\nhe lifts the needy from the ash heap
\nto make them sit with princes
\nand inherit a seat of honor.
\nFor the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s,
\nand on them he has set the world. (1 Samuel 2:6-8)<\/p>\n
Pray with me in response:<\/p>\n
O Lord, You are sovereign over all things: Over life and death, over poverty and prosperity, over success and failure. You give us a grant of life and breath and time and resources to be used for Your glory – and You take those away from us when so doing is for Your glory. We acknowledge You as our rightful Sovereign, agreeing with Scripture that You not only have a right <\/i>to do as You please, but that all You do is good and wise<\/i>. We ourselves deserve not one iota of all the gifts you give \u2013 not even one sip of water or one breath of air. Indeed, we confess that we only deserve Your wrath and judgment.<\/p>\n
Throughout our lives You have given us good gift after good gift, and we have failed to thank You for so many. We confess that rather than thank You we have acted as if we deserve them or earned them. So we now say wholeheartedly, Thank You, O gracious and generous Father, for Your ample provision, poured into our overflowing cup.<\/p>\n
Yet those obviously good gifts are the ones that most easily produce thankful hearts in us. So now we say further: When you remove any blessing from us \u2013 whether health or resources or friends or status or life itself \u2013 we know that then too You are doing good. When you lift up someone else to a position higher than our own, we acknowledge that You do right. When we suffer physical or emotional pain, we agree with Your apostle that our deepest afflictions, seen through the lens of eternity, are light and momentary, and always work in us an eternal weight of glory that far surpasses the pain (2 Corinthians 4:17).<\/p>\n
We know that all Your goodness to us, however it is expressed, comes about only because of the crucifixion and resurrection of our Savior, the Lord Jesus. We know that His once-and-for-all sacrifice is the only way we gain access to Your presence, the only basis for Your giving us what we don\u2019t deserve. So we bask in what we in no way merit: Your steadfast, everlasting love for us in Christ.<\/p>\n
Thank You that both Your provision and Your removal of blessings are part of Your wise governing of the world that will bring about the culmination of all things \u2013 the creation of a new heavens and new earth, the summing up of all things in Christ, the salvation of those from every tribe and tongue and nation, the perfection of His glorious Bride, the Church, and the wiping of every tear from our eyes. How we long for this final day! Come, Lord Jesus!<\/p>\n
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