The Joy of Giving Him What He Asks
Carrying what feels like a burden can become the very provision that sustains you.
Devotional Credit: His Victorious Indwelling, compiled by Nick Harrison, featuring Amy Carmichael
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Today’s reflection compiled by Nick Harrison reminds me that walking closely with Christ—yielding to Him as our Life—is not without cost. Amy Carmichael warns us not to be surprised when we encounter suffering, especially when our service to the Lord is genuine and Spirit-dependent. The more purely our work rests on Him, the more it will be opposed. But this is not cause for alarm—it is cause for rejoicing.
She points out that suffering is not an aberration for believers; it’s a hallmark of the path of the cross. Just as Jesus suffered at the hands of those He loved, so may we. Scripture does not hide this truth; instead, it invites us to count it joy and see suffering as part of our fellowship with Christ. The One who had no earthly comfort, no earthly possession, said that He rejoiced in being poured out for others.
Carmichael describes this sacrificial life not as a burden, but as a privilege—a sacred offering of love. When we are invited to give beyond what is comfortable or natural, we are actually being given a gift: the opportunity to let Christ show what He alone can do in and through us.
If I am to live the abiding life, I must not expect ease. I must not retreat when opposition arises. I must rejoice, not in the pain, but in the presence of Christ that fills every yielded place with His joy and resurrection power.
Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
Beloved, do not be caught off guard when opposition rises. I have never promised you a path of comfort, but I have promised My presence in every moment. The refining fire does not destroy—it reveals. It purifies the work I have begun in you, for I am the Author and Finisher of your faith.
You are not alone in this. My Son walked the road of rejection and sorrow. He knows the cost of love, and He walks it still through you. You are being conformed into His image—not through striving, but through surrender. I have called you to share in His sufferings, that you may also share in His joy.
Pain is not a punishment—it is part of the fellowship. When others wound you, remember: it was love that drove My Son to the cross, and love that held Him there. He suffered at the hands of those He came to save. You too will find that those closest to you may not understand your obedience. Yet you are not walking for their approval—you are walking in Me.
Keep your eyes on the joy set before you. When you are poured out, I am filling others through you. When your strength wanes, My power is made perfect. Rejoice, not in the trial, but in the triumph that is already yours. This is the way of the cross: not ease, but exchange—not resistance, but resurrection.
You were called to this. And I who called you will not leave you. Every sacrifice offered in love becomes a fragrance that pleases Me. Let your life be that offering today.
Scripture References: Philippians 2:17; 1 Peter 2:21; 1 Peter 4:12–13; James 1:2–4; Mark 9:12; Romans 8:17–18; 2 Corinthians 4:7–12; Hebrews 12:1–3; John 15:18–21; Isaiah 53:3–5; Galatians 2:20; Romans 6:1–14; 1 Peter 5:10; 2 Corinthians 12:9–10; Philippians 1:29; Hebrews 13:12–15
Real-Life Analogy
It’s like carrying a backpack on a steep hike. At the base of the trail, it feels manageable, even light. But as the incline steepens and the hours stretch on, the weight becomes real. Muscles ache. The temptation is to drop the pack, to question why it’s even necessary. But then—at the summit—you open it and find that it was filled with supplies needed for the climb: water, nourishment, shelter. The burden was actually a provision.
That’s what sacrificial service often feels like. It’s not glamorous. It weighs on us. But in Christ, what feels like a burden is actually filled with unseen provision—grace, joy, and eternal fruit.
So when criticism or isolation comes, or when you’re misunderstood by those you love, pause and say: Lord, I trust You to live Your life through me in this moment. I yield my right to be comfortable and choose the joy of sharing in Your sufferings, knowing Your joy will follow. Maybe it’s staying silent when you’re accused unfairly. Maybe it’s serving someone who has let you down again. Whatever it is, He will supply the joy.
Prayer of Confidence
Father,
Thank You for the sacred privilege of being offered up on behalf of another. I know that nothing You allow is wasted, and every surrendered moment is a fragrance to You. I rejoice that You never ask anything of me without already placing Your own Life within me to accomplish it. What You require, You have already provided. So I rest in Your sufficiency today. May my heart remain yielded, my mind stayed on You, and my spirit quietly trusting in Your faithful presence.
Amen.