And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God; to them who are the called according to his purpose.–Romans 8:28
Since we cannot avoid afflictions, how we view them is crucial. If we view them properly we will see them as appointments not accidents. Although Satan may play a role we should not view every difficulty as an attack by the devil. It is best to think of them as the appointments of God. In other words, God either causes or allows everything. Nothing “just happens”. In some way or another God is always involved in the things that happen in life. And, because He is involved we always have hope. Although Satan means them for bad, God uses them for good. So instead of cursing our trials we should use them as an occasion to draw closer to God, experience His grace operating in our lives, and look for some good to come out of them.
Yeah I know– many things in life are unfair and terribly difficult and painful, but they don’t have to discourage, defeat, and destroy us. Nothing happens that does not first pass through the permissive will of God. Knowing that should be a comfort and a challenge to us. It’s easy to quote Romans 8:28 to someone else going through trials, but not so easy to apply it to our situation. Yet it is true in both instances. That which is a mystery to us is actually a ministry from God. He is working for us, not against us!
Every affliction that comes our way is an appointment from God and an opportunity for us to show others what God can do. And that’s just one of the ways in which God can bring good out of bad. God has a purpose, a good purpose, in all that He does. Whether we see the end result or not isn’t what’s important. It is the working out of His will that matters most. Knowing that God brings some good to us and/or others through our trials should change the way we view them. And when we have the proper perspective we have peace.
