Can contentment and deliverance be discovered amidst trials and struggles?
By Patrick Morley, Man in the Mirror Founder
Originally published in 2001
For almost 40 years, Man in the Mirror has heard from men facing financial, emotional, marital, and spiritual struggles, especially during or after milestone events in our country, such as 9-11, the Great Recession, and COVID. In 2001, Patrick Morley offered these words of encouragement for all facing hardship.
For five months, I have worried and wrestled over finances. And then, things changed. No, not my circumstances. I changed. More accurately, God changed my heart so I could trust Him in the middle of it all. Then, His peace flooded my heart, soul, and mind. The joy was supernatural.
[click_to_tweet tweet=”When we are content in our circumstances, God may deliver us from our circumstances.” quote=”When we are content in our circumstances, God may deliver us from our circumstances.”]
God will rarely change our circumstances or merely give us what we want so that we can have peace. Instead, He tends to go the opposite way. He increases the heat of the fire until we can say, like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, “God will rescue me. But even if He does not, I will worship no other God.” (Daniel 3:16-25)
God’s way is to change our hearts. Then, when we are content “in” our circumstances, He may deliver us “from” our circumstances.
If you are in the middle of an internal or external battle, do not dwell on God delivering you from it. Instead, focus on how He can deliver you in it.