I was lamenting to Pat Russell how sometimes I feel overwhelmed by COVID19 restrictions, all the political unrest, and the suffering of so many. I was feeling sad and tired. Sometimes, for me, it is a roller coaster between joy and gratitude and unrest and sadness.
Pat read aloud Romans 8:28 and told me to meditate on it. That was several days ago and I’m still meditating on it and thinking about it. It is a very powerful scripture that shows God’s great promise.
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” (Roman’s 8:28)
ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD. For me, this is sometimes hard to understand. It seems counterintuitive that things like cancer, death, natural disasters, and war can work together for good. But it is the Word of God, so we know it is true.
We know that God is more powerful than the forces of evil. He took the death of Jesus and worked it to the most magnificent good. Jesus’s death brought us eternal life and redemption. He restored us from sin.
As awful as COVID19 has been, there has been good to come from it. As Barbara Batt said in her devotional last week, we have seen many acts of kindness from people in Elizabeth, in our state, in our country, and around the world. Many people have sacrificed to help others. Look at all the things our Food Bank has done to help people this year. Look at the good nurses and doctors and others in health care have done for those suffering from COVID19. I’ve heard of people giving huge gifts to restaurants, orphanages, and other places suffering due to COVID restrictions or poverty.
For me, my life has slowed down considerably during the pandemic. I’ve had more time to study God’s word, to pray, to grow in spirit. I’ve learned to be grateful for God’s blessings. I’ve learned not to take things for granted such as Jim, our animals, the choirs I love to sing in so much, going to church every Sunday, meeting face to face with fellow believers to study and discuss living in the kingdom of God, spending time crocheting with friends, playing cards with dear friends, HUGGING. I haven’t been able to do these things for almost a year and I miss them so much. Never again will I take them for granted. Despite all the suffering due to COVID 19, and I don’t say this to diminish the suffering, but I have found some good there. So, in spite of the things I’ve missed, I have grown much closer to God and learned to appreciate his blessings; God bringing good to the bad.
Excerpted from www.outuponthewaters.com, Rebecca (last name not provided) writes:
- Romans 8:28 says that God uses all things for our good, not that all things are good. Things like war, death, human trafficking, and the like are awful. So, Romans 8:28 does not mean that all things are good, but rather that God is renewing and redeeming all things. This does not mean that all trials or tragedies will ultimately result in success, rather we should focus on the more important truth that God is bigger than all our tragedies, all our loss and our failures. Evil doesn’t win.
- When Romans 8:28 says that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who have been called according to his purpose, what this signifies is that you can’t just go about doing whatever you want and expect it to work out well. God works all things together for the good of those who have been called according to his purpose, not those who are ignoring his call and disobeying his rules.
- All the things, large or small, that happen to us are little parts of our story. And God takes up that whole story, every little part of it, and redeems it. He transforms all of you into a heavenly creature.
- It doesn’t say that you necessarily will see the good in this life. The fruit of all things may not be seen in this life. Because this life is not all there is. We are promised bodily resurrection (1Corinthians 15:42). We are promised more. We could say that everything that happens to us here and now helps to shape ourselves (our very selves) into creatures who are in harmony with God (if we follow his will) or who are at odds with him (if we don’t follow his will). The good that comes out of “all things” ultimately is the fruit that produces a heavenly creature, a creature who is in harmony with God and at home in heaven, who finds joy in following God’s lead and submitting their own will to that of their Creator.
- God’s transformation of us will not be complete this side of death, but we can rest assured of 2 things: evil does not win; and our world, our very selves, are being transformed into something bigger, something greater, something of infinitely more value than any material things that we may store up here and now.
What is the kingdom of heaven? The kingdom of heaven is the restoration of all things. It is the redemption of every single part of your life that you lay at the feet of Christ. It is the victory of good over evil. It is the wiping away of all tears. It is the growth of faith, hope, and love. It is the transformation of ordinary selves into heavenly creatures who are in harmony with God, who submit their wills to that of the King of all kings. May we see that transformation in our lives and in our world today and all the days of our lives.
If we follow God’s will and trust in God, all things will be made “good”. God turns all suffering to good.
From Laurie Hatcher (crosswalk.com):
Please pray with me:
Father,
Sometimes I can’t understand how you can bring beauty from the ashes of my life. I struggle to trust you with the broken pieces. You say in your Word that without faith it is impossible to please you, and I want to please you. I want to trust you. I want you to make me more like Jesus and use my trials for my good and your glory. Help me believe in the promise of Romans 8:28.
In the name of Jesus I ask, Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment