All Things


Paul's words seem like a sweet, cool breeze on a sweltering afternoon: "We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." But what about those two wonderful, perplexing words all things? In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul lists some of the experiences he includes under that heading. Severe floggings. Staring death in the face. Bloody lashings with a whip. Brutal beatings with rods. Terrifying shipwrecks. Danger from bandits. Heartaches over betrayals and false believers. Exposure, exhaustion, hunger, and thirst (2 Corinthians 11:23-28). And the list goes on.

Most of us could say that our problems pale in light of Paul's list. Yet he could still write, "I know that in all things God works for my good." What's keeping you from believing in God's goodness right now, in the midst of your difficulties, pressures, and disappointments?

Lord, I know that if You worked everything into a pattern for good in Paul's life, You will do the same in mine. I do love You, Lord, and even in today's pain and weariness, I know You called me for a purpose. sometimes I can't imagine what that purpose might be, but right now I'm content that You know, and that's enough.

-From A Spectacle of Glory, January 21 p. 32 by Joni Eareckson Tada

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