IT IS BEST TO COOPERATE WITH THE INEVITABLE

“I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me” (PSALM 57:2)

A simple-hearted man was once asked how he managed to live in such a state of constant tranquility even though surrounded by circumstances anything but pleasant.

 

His answer was as profound as it was simple: “I have learned to cooperate with the inevitable!”

 

The idea here set forth is so wise and practical that it is hard to see how we Christians have managed to overlook it so completely in our everyday living. That we do overlook it is shown by our conduct and conversation. Some of us “kick against the pricks” for a lifetime, all the while believing that we are surrendered to the will of God.

 

What wicked men do should not disturb the good man’s tranquility. The inner world consists of our thoughts and emotions, presided over by our will. While we cannot determine circumstances, we can determine our reaction to them. And that is where the battle is to be fought and victory won!

 

This is not to teach fatalism or to deny the freedom of the human will. Quite the contrary, it is to assert that freedom unequivocally.

 

Though we cannot control the universe, we can determine our attitude toward it. We can accept God’s will wherever it is expressed. If my will is to do God’s will, then there will be no controversy with anything that comes in the course of my daily walk. Let God make the alterations as He may see fit, either by His own sovereign providence or in answer to believing prayer!

 W. Tozer