The Gift of Place

It is always possible to do the will of God. In every place and time it is within our power to acquiesce in the will of God. Jesus comforted His disciples: 'Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me. In my father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you" (John 14:1-2). Who is finally responsible for our circumstances? Psalm 16:5 tells us: 'Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure.'

We have the assurance-a calming and quieting one-that God in His infinite wisdom has placed us where we are. There are perhaps some factors which we would not happily have chosen. When Alexander Solzhenitsyn was in prison he wrote, 'How simple for me to live with You, O Lord! How easy to believe in You! When in confusion my should bares itself or bends, when the most wise can see no further than this night and do not know what tomorrow brings, You fill me with the clear certainty that You exist, and that you watch to see that all the paths of righteousness be not closed. From the heights of worldly glory I am astonished by the path through despair you have provided me, this path from which I have been worthy enough to reflect Your radiance to men. All that I will yet reflect You will grant me. And for that which I will not succeed in reflecting, You have appointed others.'

Let us never suppose that obedience is impossible or that holiness is meant only for a select few. Our Shepherd leads us in paths of righteousness-not for our name's sake but for His. He saw to it that in the midst of excruciating suffering those paths were not closed to Solzhenitsyn. They are not closed to us...

Our heavenly Father knows to place us where we may learn lessons impossible anywhere else. He has neither misplace nor displaced us. He assigns and designs according to His inscrutable wisdom-always for our blessing and conformity to the image of Christ. ..

-Elisbeth Elliot, Secure in the Everlasting Arms