He meant evil against me; but God meant it for good…
An encouragement from a sister…
There’s so much evil in our world today, and unfortunately, we as God’s children, seem to be the major victims of this evil. We end up asking ourselves, “Why can’t God do anything about it? Why can’t God stop the enemy? If God is so good, why can’t He purge him out from the world? I mean He has all the power to do it, right? ”
But we also have to know that God allows it to happen. He is not helpless. He owns the universe, and everything in it. He is not tied. He is consciously aware of everything that happens. Nothing that happens in this world catches Him by surprise. He knows everything, even before it happens. He knows the end from the beginning. When evil comes our way, God is always already conscious about it. Yes, He can protect us by preventing it from happening – (Psalm 121:7) The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. Or, He can allow it to happen, definitely having the best reasons – (Isaiah 45:7) I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things.
Let us look at Job, one of my favorite characters from the Bible. Job was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil. (Job 1:1) Despite God acknowledging him as an upright man, He still allowed trouble to come his way. We see how the enemy did what he does best; he stole his joy, killed his children and his animals and destroyed all his property, everything he had. And, to top it all up he inflicted him with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. (Job 1&2)
God allowed it to happen. He allowed the enemy to do it. As we read the book of Job, we get to understand why God allowed it to happen. Notice that Job doesn’t. We even get to see God restoring two times of everything Job had! The point I’m trying to drive home is that God allows afflictions to happen for a reason. But the thing is, He doesn’t owe us any explanation. He is God! He doesn’t need to explain Himself, only if we could trust Him and trust that He wants the best for us, He never intends anything to harm us, He loves us way too much, and if He allows pain then it’s definitely for a good reason.
Sometimes, just like in Job’s case, God uses the affictions caused by the enemy to bring us closer to Him. The enemy thought that destroying everything Job had was a win for him, but God, as always, saw the bigger picture. After all, He is omniscient, all-knowing! And that is what actually happens. God allows the enemy to do his thing, for a bigger and better purpose. He is always working behind the scenes for our good and for His glory. Even when we don’t see it He’s working!!
Ever thought of how every challenge you faced brought you closer to God? That one time you felt helpless, you ran to Him in tears, fell at your knees, and He heard you and answered you. If not for that feeling of helplessness you probably wouldn’t have run to Him. And the afflictions that we go through not only help us reach out to Him, but they also help us know Him and love Him more.
If you had not lacked, then you would not have known Him as Jehovah Jireh, the Provider.
If you had not gone through that pain, then you would not have known Him as the Comforter.
If had not gone through that sickness, then you would not have known Him as the Healer.
He allows it all, the good, the bad, and the ugly, for our good. 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. (Romans 8:28). And that’s my encouragement to you today.
Beloved, there’s no one in this world who loves you more than God does. He loved you so much that He gave His only begotten son for you, you who were deserving of death due to sin! He could not sit with the idea of you spending eternity away from Him, so He came up with a solution! Thus Jesus became the atonement of sin for us, and now we are reconciled back to Him. If He didn’t care that much about us then He would have left us to face the consequences of our own sin. But His love, overflowing and unconditional, saved us.
For that hardship you’re going through, don’t worry about it. Rejoice! Since you know that behind the scenes God is working for your good and for His glory! God doesn’t waste our pain. He uses our experiences, even the most difficult ones, for our growth and purpose.
Trust God even in the midst of that challenge, believing that He can bring good out of those difficult situations. He turns our sorrow and pain into joy and beauty. Trust Him!
TO GOD BE THE GLORY!!
♡Brenda Wanyama♡
