Real Hope: Thankfulness In Times Of UncertaintySample

ALL THINGS

God is using every circumstance in our lives to shape us and use us for His purpose!

It can be hard for us to accept the idea of God using ‘all things’ in this way. We know that God uses His Word to renew our minds and transform us. We can accept that God uses our fellowship with other believers in this way.  His blessings in our lives assure us of His loving care for us. However, there are still those times, when we say to ourselves "...but, does God really mean we can find joy in ‘all things’?

Yes!... He does!

Now, this doesn't mean that God is pleased with all things. God does grieve when we bear the brunt of someone else’s sin. He is angry when a drunk driver slams into the car of someone we love. Our God knows, from His own experience on the cross, what the physical and emotional pain we experience feels like.  God loves us through all of our experiences.  He grieves and groans along with us.

We know that God is on His throne.  He reigns over all things and overrules evil.   He has a purpose and He is able to use the fallen, the evil, and even the most senseless things, to accomplish His good purpose in the world, and in our lives. This means that we can embrace any circumstance we find ourselves in, whether good or bad, as God’s opportunity for us to grow and minister in His name to others.

written by JOHN NORTH