I Love Jesus: 11-Day Devotional by Mac PowellSample

Life can be hard sometimes.

That’s a fact that all of us know and can relate to. We all have had times of fear, doubt, struggles, and pain.

If you haven’t, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you will experience hard times. That’s just part of life.

But the good news is found in Romans 8:28:

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Romans is one of my favorite books in the Bible. It was the book of the Bible that brought me back to God when I was a senior in high school.

I was a struggling student, afraid of graduating and having to join the “real world.” I was clueless about what was going to happen in the near future and afraid of what that future might possibly bring.

As an 18-year-old, struggling and scared, I reached out for some direction through prayer and reading the Word of God.

There are so many awesome Scriptures within the book of Romans, but to read those words, “in ALL THINGS God works for the good of those who love him…” I was encouraged beyond measure.

I knew that if I surrendered completely to the Lord, HE would work all things out for my good.

But make no mistake, my friends.

Sometimes, WITHIN our troubles and trials, God can bring about “good.”

It may not feel like it at the time, but God can use “all things” for his glory.

That’s the heart of my song, “My Good.”

Some of my favorite lyrics of the song are:

You are working all things out

For my good, and for Your glory

And I know without a doubt

You’ll make a way

Through my troubles and my trials

This has been my testimony

You are moving mountains

Every single day

In Exodus 9:16, God says to Pharaoh, “But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”

God has a plan and a purpose for every single one of us.

Ultimately, his purpose is to reveal his great power and love to us so that his name may be proclaimed, that he will be glorified, and he will receive the honor that he deserves.

My encouragement and challenge to you today, my brothers and sisters, is this:

Don’t wait until God has brought you through a hard time to bring him glory and thanks.

Even in the midst of our trials, we can thank him, seek him for strength and wisdom, and say, “Lord, through this difficult time, be glorified!”

Thank you for taking the time to read through my thoughts on my song, “My Good.”