Romans 8 verse 28 (NIV)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
I’ve been very challenged of late to think about things that happen in life e.g failure- through a different lens- namely God’s. Like an old long playing record, events from the past were playing on repeat. As a good Christian woman, I was doing all the right things, like taking every thought captive, fixing my mind on Jesus and a whole lot of other things. Then my husband dropped a clanger. Have you forgiven yourself?
What is a challenge for me is to look at the alternative and redemptive story being written by God Himself, along side my woeful story. Will I allow myself to truly believe that in ALL things God works for the good of those who love Him? This being the truth, will I add to my faith and appropriate this living word into my spirit? Will I allow Holy Spirit and the word of God to transform the darkness into light? How long have you and I mourned the failure and not celebrated the alternative narrative of this failure (or whatever it might be in your case?).
Will I allow the new story that God is weaving in and through my life to be more dominant than the old?
Lets take King David. David had an affair with Bathsheba and she became pregnant. He ordered her husband be sent to the front line and killed to cover this up. The prophet Nathan warned David that the baby would die. David prayed and fasted for the life of the baby but the baby still died. How did David handle all this?
2 Samuel Chapter 12 verse 20 (NIV) reads Then David got up from the ground, washed, put on lotions and changed his clothes. He then went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. Then he went to his own house, and at his request they served him food, and he ate.
How could King David put all of this behind him and just move on? What was his secret?
What inner spiritual resources did David have that he was able to respond that way? I wonder if it was David’s deepest belief in the love and character of God, namely the goodness of God and His ability to work ALL things for good.
Do I respond this way when things don’t go right or I deliberately sin?
In Psalm 51 we read, against you and you only have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight.
In 2 Samuel 12 v.13 we read the David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord”.
In Luke 15 v. 21 The (prodigal) son said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.
In all of these 3 examples, we see a common pattern. An acute awareness of sinning against God and heaven, confession of sin, and an acknowledgement of failure.
King David’s response to his monumental failure was to seek God anyway. He believed in the goodness of God and worshiped him. I speculate that he had a choice and didn’t have to respond the way he did. However, King David knew through the seasons of his life, that God loved him, called him and was always good. I believe King David was strong in his identity of being loved and sustained by God, when he did the right thing and when he did the wrong thing.
Can we worship God at a time like that? Can we see the goodness of God?
In all my failures, I’m now deciding that I need to look on the other side of the long playing record. Surely it is more honouring of and to God and our faith to trust in the new and redemptive story that God is writing as we worship Him in our mess.
Paul wrote in Roman’s 8 verse 28 (NIV) In ALL things, God WORKS FOR THE GOOD of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
In Genesis 50 verse 20 (NIV), Joseph was able to say to his brothers- You intended to harm me BUT GOD INTENDED IT FOR GOOD, to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
Thank you, Lorraine, for this.
Thankyou and Bless you Julia as you too look for whats in God’s other hand. Whatever it is, it will be good.
Blessings, Lorraine
This morning I was sitting in a waiting room and I clicked on FB and a noisy video came up – instantly suppressed. But it got the lady next to me talking about the harm social media is causing her relative. I shared how FB is such a healthy place for me, and quoted the message of your post. Led to a very good conversation on this topic, which she’d been wrestling with. Praise the Lord.
Very encouraging to hear you were able to share the message of the post Julia. Thankyou.