Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." We hold to this as believers, of course, but when difficulties come to us (as they inevitably will) our emotion sometimes struggles to match our convictions in the moment. Moreover, the surprising and unexpected ways in which God will work His good will is something we are rarely able to ascertain in the midst of common frustration. Thus, it's important to recognize the good that God brings into the lives of His children. It's also encouraging to hear stories from other believers about how God took worked all things for the good and for that purpose I dedicate this short article.
I had plans. Good plans. I was scheduled to give a live presentation of our Doing Discipleship... Classically at a church in Kansas. While I was on my way to the venue the night before that event, which was over 100 miles away, I saw my tire pressure warning light flash on. We'd had some intermittent issues with the monitor, so I decided to keep driving. However, a few moments later my tire suddenly blew completely out on the highway! My alarm and frustration seized me as I was changing the tire. I called the church and we opted to reschedule the event and I limped home on my spare tire. The whole ordeal was a nuisance, and while I was glad that no further harm had come to our vehicle, I must admit that I was annoyed. However, shortly thereafter, that same wheel seized up entirely (with smoke and the works) because of a hitherto unknown brake issue. My wife and I quickly realized that if the tire hadn't blown out, I likely would have been well out into the countryside when the wheel would have seized up, and getting home with a seized-up front right brake would have been far more arduous than driving the short distance home on a spare tire.
God is good.
During the freezing temperatures of February 2021, our pipes froze solid. I took time off from work and labored all day from sun-up to well after sun-down, bone-chilled and at a frenzied pace, trying desperately to resolve the issue. We had an outside pipe that had burst and had was replaced by the plumber, but after that was accomplished we realized that the main was also frozen solid.
I eventually set up a few warming units in our garage (where the water main is located) and went to bed that evening at about midnight, exhausted. At 2:41 AM, I suddenly woke up, which is certainly not my normal time to get up, and certainly not a time when my exhausted body wanted me to wake up! I thought, "Well, since I'm awake, I'll go check on the water main." I stumbled through the house and opened the garage door. The sound of running water assailed my ears. The main had broken and was spewing water! However, the amount of water on the garage floor was astoundingly minimal... meaning that the main broke either right when I woke up or else during the short time I was walking to the garage! Given how tired I was, I cannot but give glory to God for divine intervention.
I was able to quickly shut it off and call the plumber... no major damage whatsoever.
God is good.
James 1:17 says, "Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow." I often prompt my kids, "Every good gift comes from..." and they answer "above!" It's important that we not only take a moment to recognize God's good gifts when they come, even in the mundane, small troubles that we face, but that we also remember and share them with each other to encourage each other with God's faithfulness.
Do you have an example of God's faithfulness, of how He showed His goodness in the midst of difficulty? Please feel free to share in the comments below!
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