God Works All Things For Good
You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. - Genesis 50:20 NIV
Bad things happen to good people. Sometimes we don’t understand why they do. But when God allows pain, it is never pointless. He works all things for good.
My mom has always been my hero, my best friend, the kind of person I’ve always wanted to be. She’s been through countless trials throughout her life yet handled them with so much grace. Canadian by birth, she and her family lived in a small town in Ontario. When she was just 9 years old, her mother tragically passed away after a battle with cancer; and just a few years later, her father died of a heart attack. In a matter of three years, she and her brothers had become orphans. I can’t even imagine how I’d feel if I had gone through something like that.
Alone and uncertain of their future, they were whisked away one night by my mom’s aunt and uncle and taken over the border and down to the hills of Tennessee. They were concerned about what would happen to the children if left up to those in charge of them. It may have seemed scandalous at the time, and many of my mom’s extended family members did not approve. But looking back now, we see God’s hand in it all.
It was hard for her during those first few years, removed from familiar places and familiar friends. She had to start all over again during some of the most pivotal years of her youth. However, it was here that she really learned about Jesus. Throughout the years that followed, she came to love Him more and more, and she eventually became a Christian school teacher. What began as tragedy, heartache, and pain brought my mother to the saving knowledge of Jesus and into His calling on her life.
What are you going through right now that’s painful? Maybe you received difficult news at the doctor, maybe your marriage is crumbling before your eyes, and maybe it’s something altogether different. When God allows pain, it is never pointless. He will always be by your side.
When you go through deep waters, He will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. - Isaiah 43:2 NLT
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. - Romans 8:28 NLT
Journal: Have you ever gone through something painful that led you to something good in your life? When did you realize that God was working in the details of this painful experience?
Prayer Prompt: Are you currently going through something painful but cannot see why this would happen to you or what good could ever come of it? Give your pain to God. Trust Him with it. Ask Him to calm your heart and mind while you wait for Him to work. Write your prayer to Him in your journal and come back to it later once you see how He has brought you through this difficult experience. Then praise Him for His goodness!
Bad things happen to good people. Sometimes we don’t understand why they do. But when God allows pain, it is never pointless. He works all things for good.
My mom has always been my hero, my best friend, the kind of person I’ve always wanted to be. She’s been through countless trials throughout her life yet handled them with so much grace. Canadian by birth, she and her family lived in a small town in Ontario. When she was just 9 years old, her mother tragically passed away after a battle with cancer; and just a few years later, her father died of a heart attack. In a matter of three years, she and her brothers had become orphans. I can’t even imagine how I’d feel if I had gone through something like that.
Alone and uncertain of their future, they were whisked away one night by my mom’s aunt and uncle and taken over the border and down to the hills of Tennessee. They were concerned about what would happen to the children if left up to those in charge of them. It may have seemed scandalous at the time, and many of my mom’s extended family members did not approve. But looking back now, we see God’s hand in it all.
It was hard for her during those first few years, removed from familiar places and familiar friends. She had to start all over again during some of the most pivotal years of her youth. However, it was here that she really learned about Jesus. Throughout the years that followed, she came to love Him more and more, and she eventually became a Christian school teacher. What began as tragedy, heartache, and pain brought my mother to the saving knowledge of Jesus and into His calling on her life.
What are you going through right now that’s painful? Maybe you received difficult news at the doctor, maybe your marriage is crumbling before your eyes, and maybe it’s something altogether different. When God allows pain, it is never pointless. He will always be by your side.
When you go through deep waters, He will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. - Isaiah 43:2 NLT
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. - Romans 8:28 NLT
Journal: Have you ever gone through something painful that led you to something good in your life? When did you realize that God was working in the details of this painful experience?
Prayer Prompt: Are you currently going through something painful but cannot see why this would happen to you or what good could ever come of it? Give your pain to God. Trust Him with it. Ask Him to calm your heart and mind while you wait for Him to work. Write your prayer to Him in your journal and come back to it later once you see how He has brought you through this difficult experience. Then praise Him for His goodness!
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