“I fasted and wept while the child was alive, for I said, ‘Perhaps the Lord will be gracious to me and let the child live.’ But why should I fast when he is dead? Can I bring him back again?” 2 Samuel 12:22-23 (NLT)
When people receive bad news, their first response is usually disbelief. We reject the truth because it’s too shocking and painful. We don’t think it’s possible. We can’t accept that it’s real. We think, “It’s not supposed to happen like this!”
But then reality slowly starts to set in, and you can’t deny it anymore. That’s where surrender comes in. Surrender is accepting reality, and it’s the first step on the path to peace. You have to accept what cannot be changed.
After his infant son died, King David said, “I fasted and wept while the child was alive, for I said, ‘Perhaps the Lord will be gracious to me and let the child live.’ But why should I fast when he is dead? Can I bring him back again?” (2 Samuel 12:22-23 NLT). Of course, the answer is “no.” His child is gone. What is David doing here? He’s accepting what cannot be changed.
In whatever loss you will experience in your life, the first thing you have to do is accept what cannot be changed.
Acceptance doesn’t mean you stop caring. Acceptance doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt. It does! And acceptance doesn’t mean you think that what happened is good. Acceptance simply means you know you can’t change it, and you have to move forward with a new reality.
What do you need to accept that’s over in your life? Maybe it’s a job where you keep thinking they’ll call you and give you another chance. But there isn’t going to be another chance.
Maybe it’s a relationship that’s over, but you just keep hoping they’ll walk back through the door at any moment. But they’re not coming back.
Maybe it’s a season of life that you treasured but is now finished, and you think you can stretch it into one more day. But you have to accept that that season of your life is over.
Maybe it’s a dream that hasn’t happened yet, but you can’t give it up. You need to get a new dream, a new goal, a new vision for your life.
Everything—the good things and the bad things—is here for a season. When the time is over, you have to trust that God is in control. He will lead you toward peace when you are ready to surrender to him and his good plan.
PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick
Talk It Over
How can you know that God is in control, even when you are in pain and grieving?
Why do you need someone to speak God’s truth over you when you are trying to accept a painful reality? Who can do that for you?
If you need a new dream for your life, are you ready to surrender your plans to God? How will you show him that you are ready for his dream for your life?
This devotional © 2023 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Everything—the good things and the bad things—is here for a season. When something ends and you are grieving, there is one step you need to take to start on the path of peace. Find out what it is in today’s #DailyHope devotional.
Rick Warren Bio
Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church, one of America’s largest and most influential churches. Pastor Rick is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Purpose Driven Life. His book The Purpose Driven Church was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th century. Pastor Rick created The PEACE Plan to address the five global giants—spiritual emptiness, self-serving leadership, poverty, disease, and illiteracy—through the power of ordinary people in the local church. His Daily Hope broadcast and daily devotionals are offered around the world. You can listen to the broadcast or sign up for the free devotionals at PastorRick.com.
Tags
How to Get Through What You’re Going Through – 2023, Grief, Healing Choices, Peace, Loss, Pain, Change, Hurt, Dreams, Trust, Surrender, 2 Samuel 12
Broadcast Series: How to Get Through What You’re Going Through – 2023
Sermon Series: How to Get Through What You’re Going Through
Sermon: 025005_Surrender: The Path to Peace
