Daily Encounter: A Week-day Devotional by a staff of ACTS International.

Wednesday, March 9, 2022

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight."¹

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
And the road you're trudging seems all up hill,
When funds are low and debts are high,
And you have to smile, but you want to cry,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if your must, but don't you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out.
So don't give up though the pace seems slow,
For you may succeed with another blow,
Success is failure turned inside out,
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit,
It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit.

            â€" Edgar A. Guest

To quit or not to quit? When things go wrong, this is sometimes an extremely difficult decision at which to arrive. There are times when we may need to change our direction, our job, our location, or quit a destructive situation. The important thing is not to quit too soon. However, it's equally important not to hang in too long when it isn't meant to be.

But how do we know when to hang in or when to quit? In this kind of situation, after I've done everything I can to redeem the bad situation without success, sometimes I still don't know. It is then (having already committed the situation to God, and having sought his direction) that I trust God that the decision I make will be in harmony with his will for me.

Furthermore, at times like these I always ask God to give me the insight to see the truth and reality of the situation in question. Once I see the reality, I know what I need to do. Then I pray for the courage to do it!

God hasn't promised to make our decisions for us or tell us what to do. What he has promisedâ€"providing we want and ask for itâ€"is wisdom, guidance, direction, and understanding, and to be with us as long as we are genuinely seeking to walk in his ways.

However, when it comes to growing in "faith, and love and every grace" it is required that we never quit!

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me with my decision regarding (name the situation). Help me to see the reality of the total situation so that I will know what is the best thing for me to do. Whatever that is, please give me the courage to do it. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV).

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