It's All Good!

Psalm 119:71-72 (NIV) 71 It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees. 72 The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.

That’s a hard truth David utters in this psalm. David looks back on his afflictions, his problems his difficult days and says you know what? After its all said and done, it was good for me.

How many of us can say that? Believe it or not for us as Christians, life is a series of problem-solving opportunities. The problems you face will either defeat you or develop you - depending on how you respond to them. Too often we are so focused on what we are going through we miss these 3 facts in regards to our lives. (1). We are Gods children, (2) God does not do or allow anything to happen in our lives outside his perfect love for us. (3) Therefore whatever I am going through, God must have a purpose and a plan for it?

When you are faced with adversity, difficulties or hard times that is when you need to put Romans 8:28 to work in your life. The apostle Paul says there, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

Whatever is going on in in your life, if you love God and are called according to his purpose, he will work it together for good. If you are going through something right now, say it with me, “God is working it for good”

This will help you if you if you embrace three ways God wants to use the problems in your life:

1. God uses problems to DIRECT you - Sometimes God must light a fire under you to get you moving. Problems often point us in a new direction and motivate us to change. Is God trying to get your attention? "Sometimes it takes a painful situation to make us change our ways." Pr. 20:30 (GN)

2. God uses problems to CORRECT you - Some lessons we learn only through pain and failure. It's likely that as a child your parents told you not to touch a hot stove. But you probably learned by being burned. Sometimes we only learn the value of something - health, money, a relationship - by losing it. It was the best thing that could have happened to me, for it taught me to pay attention to your laws. (Ps. 119:71-72, LB)

3. God uses problems to PERFECT you. - Problems, when responded to correctly, are character builders. God is far more interested in your character than your comfort. Your relationship to God and your character are the only two things you're going to take with you into eternity.

We can rejoice when we run into problems they help us learn to be patient. And patience develops strength of character in us and helps us trust God more each time we use it until finally our hope and faith are strong and steady. (Rom. 5:3-4, LB)

Beloved, God is at work in your life - even when you do not recognize it or understand it. When ever you are faced with adversity, remind yourself, God is working it out for good.

Say it with me, "It's all good".