Out of Everything Bad Comes Good

“These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though

refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”

-1 Peter 1:7

                Life is filled with problems; some we create ourselves and others which are beyond our control. Anyone can have faith in God during fair weather; but, the true test of our faith is how we respond during stormy weather, when we can’t see our hand in front of our face. Most Christians have a very weak faith, a shallow faith, a temporary faith, which when a problem arises, they quit and behave no better than the pagans.

“Consider what God has done: Who can straighten what he has made crooked?

When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well

as the other. Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future.”

-Ecclesiastes 7:13-14

                Christ should be our example during our times of pain, mental anguish, and suffering. I know that overwhelming feeling of mental anguish. There have been times when I’ve felt like curling up in a ball. I know what it’s like to suffer overwhelming emotional pain. I know what it’s like to wake up from a nightmare to a bigger nightmare, unable to do anything about the situation. There have been many times when a second seemed like an hour and every hour like a day.

                I have learned during these times that we need to keep our eyes on the Lord. Do you think God is pleased when we only have faith during the good times? What about one’s faith during the storms of life? Christ can make everything right, when life seems so wrong. We are promised that all things will work together for the good for every born again Christian.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,

who have been called according to his purpose.”

-Romans 8:28

                The Bible doesn’t say everything that happens will always be good. What God promises is that everything will ultimately work together for the good according to His plans. Just like you need raw ingredients for a cake that you wouldn’t eat separately, all of the tragedies and bad experiences will work together for good if we believe on Jesus. We must trust the Lord and cast our cares upon Him continually, being patient and believing His word.

“Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you;

he will never let the righteous fall.”

-Psalm 55:22

“God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you 7 and give relief to you who

are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed

from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.”

-2 Thessalonians 1:6-7

                We are also told that after everything is said and done, God will bring us happiness and satisfaction. There are things that will cause us to test our faith, but they won’t last long; they are only temporary. They are no comparison to what God has prepared and promised us.

“Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.”

-Psalm 30:5