God is For Us

"So all things are working for the Lord's Beloved;

Some things might be harmful, if alone they stood;

Some might seem to hinder, some might draw us backward;

But they work together, and they work for good.

All the thwarted longings, all the stern denials,

All the contradictions, hard to understand,

And the Force that holds them, speeds them and retards them,

Stops and starts and guides them, is our Father's hand."

- Anonymous (Ascent to the Tribes, pg. 65)

How good is it to know God is in control of all things!  He allows circumstances to occur which may not make sense to us, but we can know He works all things out for our good.  Following Jesus Christ is not like a natural chemical reaction which is predictable and exact.  For those who are born again through faith in Christ we have been freed from death row, having been incarcerated because of our sin.  Every Christian has been automatically drafted into a spiritual battlefield opposing Satan and the evil forces at work in this world.  We have been filled with the Holy Spirit within, but we continue to live in a body of flesh which tends toward sinful lusts and desires.  It's a normal repercussion of the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual stress of battle that we can at times feel beaten, depressed, confused, and frustrated.

I read an interesting passage in "Ascent to the Tribes" yesterday:  "Frustration is one of the hardest of missionary trials, and not always are we allowed to see, as in this instance, that is has worked for good.  Satan aims to quench ardor.  If we looked at what seems to be mere waste in our lives, he would be successful.  We must just remember the wise words of an old CIM missionary who once said, "Where there is building there must be rubbish."  Rubbish is waste.  Part of our work may include wasted footsteps because this is battle." (pg. 64)

We must allow faith in God's power to control seemingly impossible situations to take root in our hearts.  People sometimes lament over the course set before them by God, "How much time I have wasted!"  Or perhaps they beat themselves up because God has revealed Himself in a powerful way and they think, "I could have used that 10 years ago!"  We must recognize that God COULD have done anything He wanted, and He decided to bring you through 10 years of experience so you would be ready for the lesson.  Sometimes we insinuate that our way is more efficient than God's way.  Perhaps from our ignorant perspective we think we can improve God's efficiency, but we could not draw a breath without His sufficiency.  He knows what we need and when we need it.

If you have ever sewn, worked in construction, cooked something, or did anything which required work you know there will be waste.  Our bodies create waste as we sustain ourselves through eating, drinking, and respiration.  When I am working with insulation, I always bring extra material because I know there will be waste.  Sometimes the fiberglass needs to be dug out, the foam rubber left over has been cut in unusable shapes, and all the adhesive is not necessary and cannot be stored.  Spiritually we tend to focus on all the waste, and try to gather up or bemoan all of the useless scraps.  What God would have us do is look at the sanctifying work He is doing in our lives.  This is not to make us proud, but to invoke in us praise and worship of God for His wondrous works.  You believed at one time God would have you marry but it ended in divorce.  Divorce is bad, but can God use it for good?  Absolutely.  Perhaps you thought God would have you quit one career and start another, only to find yourself injured or out of work.  Can God use this for good?  Yes!  And He will!  He has promised to!

Romans 8:28-31 says, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. [29] For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. [30] Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. [31] What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?"  The things God allows to happen in our lives He is using to conform us into the image of Christ.  It is not for us, my friends, to dictate to God how He should be governing or growing us.  He is righteous, merciful, gracious, loving, just, and good.  He has given us exceedingly great and precious promises we can cling to as we go through the daily battles of this life.

If God is for us, who can be against us?  This does not mean we will not face opposition, but that no physical or spiritual power has the slightest effect upon God's plan for us.  We are likely more down on ourselves than God is, because God is not against His children.  He is for us, and not against us.  Whether you are on wings of eagles or laboring through the valley of the shadow of death, God is with you.  He is for us, and through Christ we will be victorious.