Acceptance

So when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, “The will of the Lord be done.” —Acts 21: 14

Everywhere Paul went, the Holy Spirit warned him that suffering, bonds, and imprisonment awaited him in Jerusalem. Paul’s friends, upon hearing these prophecies, cried and begged Paul not to go. But he answered by saying, “I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 21: 13). Seeing his determination, they said, “The will of the Lord be done.”

**Acceptance of God’s will is the only path to true peace. Without that acceptance, there is only turmoil and struggle within.

Sometimes people are reluctant to commit themselves to God’s will because they fear He will make them do something they don’t want to do. But that’s not how God works. God reveals His will beautifully by aligning the desires of our heart with His. God’s plan for our lives is far superior to anything we could ever devise. He sees beyond our trials to the eternal good He will accomplish through those trials. With God, the end does justify the means. If a little hardship and suffering now will work a good end in our lives, then God will allow the suffering for the moment. As David said, “I delight to do Your will,
O my God” (Psalm 40: 8). When we really come to know God, His will becomes our will; His delight becomes our delight.

Father, our tendency is to seek the easier, less painful path. But You know what is best for us. We offer our desires, that You would refine them and make them Your own. In Jesus’ name, amen.