God Works All Things Together For Good

When a potter starts on a piece of pottery, he begins with a blob of ugly, grey clay. At first glance, it doesn't look like much. It just sits there and we don't see the worth in it. Why not work with something beautiful and with more potential?

Sometimes our circumstances seem the same way. We know that God works everything together for good (Romans 8:28), but we don't see how. How can losing a friend, an unhappy marriage, or any other bad situations become good? If us humans were in charge, they wouldn't work out. We'd only create a bigger mess. But God has a way of shaping the hard times of life into something beautiful. “He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11,  KJV.) We don't get it because we don't have the master plan. We have no idea what God's doing! But when we look back later, we can see the fingerprints of our Creator all over the place.

When we're not in the thick of a tough time, it's easy to believe God works all things together for good. But when we're dealing with a difficulty, we doubt and question. This is natural and human. After all, nobody likes a hard circumstance. It requires a lot of faith to believe that everything will turn out alright. But God has made multiple promises to us, saying He'll be with us and will help us in times of need.

~ “The Lord of armies is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold.” (Psalm 46:11, NASB.)

~“And the Lord will continually guide you, and satisfy your desire in scorched places, and give strength to your bones; and you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.” (Isaiah 58:11, NASB.)

~ “But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.” (2 Thessalonians 3:3, NASB.)

God is there for us, especially in the tough times. And while He's helping us bear them, He's also using them so eventually they will turn out beautiful. Despite how things may appear, God is working everything together for our good.