Who is in control?
The Lord gave me what I had,
and the Lord has taken it away.
Praise the name of the Lord! ~ Job 1:21 (NLT)
We even take pride in our problems, because we know that trouble produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope. ~ Romans 5:3-4 (CEB)
Lord, the fact is that I am not ultimately in charge of my circumstances. Lots of things happen that are beyond my control. Help me to relax as I realize that you are fully in control. I need to quit complaining when I have trouble in my life. I need to think differently about suffering. I can praise you even when I'm struggling, knowing that you use the suffering to mature me into a hope-filled follower of Christ Jesus. Let's move that direction. Amen.
TRANSLATIONS
ABP = Authorized Boydston Paraphrase — my own freestyle biblical adaptation — somewhere between paraphrase, commentary, and sermon
CEB = Common English Bible (©2011, the Common English Bible)
CEV = Contemporary English Version (©1995, American Bible Society)
MSG = The Message (©1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson)
NIRV = New International Reader's Version (©1996, 1998, Biblica)
NIV = New International Version (©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011, Biblica)
NLT = New Living Translation (©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, Tyndale House Foundation)
