In faithfulness you have afflicted me. (Psalm 119:75)
We are broken people living in a broken world with other broken people, and so we must deal with days of difficulty and even despair as we make our way toward glory. In fact, as I often remind regular readers here, one of the great promises of our Lord to each and every one of us is that “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33).
To be sure, we do not understand much of the trouble that appears in our lives and tries and tests us. But what we do know is that our God is good all the time, and that even includes our troubled times. Here are a few reminders that will bring eternal encouragement to you as you wade through the troubled waters of life:
- God is too wise to be wrong.
- God is too majestic to be mistaken.
- God is too divine to be deceitful.
- God is too holy to be hurtful.
- God is too caring to be cruel.
- God is too faithful to be false.
Regardless of what it is you have gone through, are going through, or will encounter in the near future, when we look at our troubles through the eyes of faith and not with fear, we come to the same conclusion as the psalmist: “In faithfulness you have afflicted me.” Everything God is doing is done for two reasons: His glory and our eternal good. When we receive this truth, we will live our lives by faith and not by sight, knowing that our God is working all things together according to His plan and purpose for our lives.
Because God always knows what is best for us and is always giving us what is best, we must trust Him, especially when we cannot trace Him, and live with the confident assurance that He who began this good work in us will bring it to completion . . . in His perfect way and in His perfect timing. Receiving and responding to this truth will set us free to rejoice and give thanks in all circumstances, even those that, by sinful nature, we aren’t feeling very “thankful” for.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 