Troubles

Whatever difficulties you have, if you are a Christian and you are still breathing, God means them for good for you. I don*t know what difficulties or good God has for you but I know that they all fit in with the good He has planned for you.

All things work together for good to them that love the Lord and are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28.

God works all things for good for His children -- even things that don*t look like they are working good. When we are being blessed we believe it is for good. When we are having troubles or are being chastised by God it is grievous for the moment but it is for our good.

We have all heard the story of Joseph. He was hated by his brothers, castigated by his father, sold into slavery in Egypt, spent about 2 years in prison there. None of those things were pleasant. None of them would look good to anyone. But God put Joseph in charge of the government of Egypt. During a worldwide famine Joseph was able to feed the whole family of his father, some 70 people. God took those 70 people and over a period of about 400 years He made them into a nation. When Joseph confronted his brothers as the governor of Egypt he was able to see God working the whole mess for good.

Genesis 50:20: But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

When Job lost all his wealth and his children it didn*t look good. But Job had twice as many children and twice as much wealth at the end of his life.

Like Joseph he might have said, God meant it unto good.

When David was being chased all over the wilderness by King Saul who wanted to kill him, it didn*t look good for David. But eventually God put David on the throne of Israel. David is in the line of the ancestors of Jesus. He might have said like Joseph, God meant it unto good,

When Jesus was dying on that cruel cross, His disciples must have been very troubled. It certainly didn*t look good. But Jesus death paid for the sins of all mankind. We who are believers can all say like Joseph: God meant it unto good.

When I was laid off from a job it didn*t look good. But that was one of the many circumstances that contributed to my getting saved. I ended up getting a job where I was permitted to listen to radio with earphones. I listened to a radio preacher one day and gave my heart to the Lord. It wasn*t pleasant to lose my job but I can say God meant it unto good.

I had an angiogram and then an angioplasty. I had to give up a job that was too strenuous for me. I took a big pay cut but now I have many more opportunities to speak with people about the Lord. The Lord has even given me the opportunity to teach His Word the Bible to many of my co-workers. Many times it didn*t look good. But I can say God meant it for good.

John 11:1: Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. (It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.) Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.

When Lazarus was sick and when he died, it didn*t look good. But Jesus raised him from the dead to demonstrate His resurrection power. God meant it unto good.

Because persecution arose against the church in Jerusalem those believers were scattered throughout Israel. It didn*t look good. But because they were scattered, the gospel went everywhere. God meant it unto good.

2 Corinthians 11:24 Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Beside all those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.

Paul considered those awful things light affliction. They are not our idea of light affliction. I am convinced that today in heaven Paul is saying God meant it unto good.

Often the troubles we have in this life seem unbearable. They don*t seem like light affliction but if we can look at them from God*s perspective we can know that they are light by comparison. We can know God means them unto good.

2 Corinthians 4:17-18: For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

This study also appears under the title God Means It All For Good.

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