“You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good.” Genesis 50.20 NLT
“We know that to those who love God, who are called according to his plan, everything that happens fits into a pattern for good.”
Romans 8.28 Phillips
“You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors.” James 1.3 MSG
Day 25 of 40: “Shit happens”… that’s crude, but true. And when it does, it will make us or break us… depending on how we handle it. The key is getting beyond the stink of it all to discover God’s good purpose for us. That can be a real challenge.
Jesus said: “The rain falls on the just and the unjust.” (Matthew 5.45) That’s a better way of saying it, but the point is the same.
Sometimes people intentionally do bad things to us, e.g. Joseph and his scheming, jealous brothers. It finally did all work out for Joseph. So it was a little easier for him to see God’s purpose in it – at least in the end. I’m sure he had his doubts when he was sold into slavery, or in prison at various times.
But the Bible has numerous stories when evil seemed to triumph and faithful folks never saw God’s good purpose realized in their lifetime. Church history is full of stories of martyrs who kept faith to the end… think Steven for starters. And today, in my lifetime (20th Century), more people have been martyred for their Christian faith than in all of church history. It’s true…
In two millennia of Christian history, about 70 million faithful have given their lives for the faith, and of these, 45.5 million — fully 65% — were in the last century, according to “The New Persecuted” (“I Nuovi Perseguitati”).
Through it all, Romans 8.28 has been a lifeline… the belief that God has a good purpose in all the bad things that happen to us – whether we can see it or not.
James makes the point – we see what we’re made of under pressure. Sometimes I’ve held up… and sometimes I’ve “folded like a cheap suit” as the old saying goes. So how does all of this relate to me today?
“Always leave them wanting more” is an old show business saying. Pastors and preachers should take it to heart. Over the years I repeatedly violated that basic tenet. I’m sure folks were watching their watches and saying: “How long Lord?” But in my best and last pastorate – when everything was working great (at least I thought so) – God yanked me out of there through serious, debilitating illness.
I’ve wondered what that was about for years. And I’m just beginning to see some semblance of God’s purpose in it. Not the least, I left with folks wanting more… myself included.
God’s permissive will is a tough concept… particularly in light of heartache and tragedy. But what it finally all boils down to is – trusting in God’s love and goodness – whether I can see it, or not.
The Peanut Gallery 