One of the most encouraging and comforting things that a Christian needs to constantly remember—particularly when going through times of trouble, trials, and tribulations—is that our heavenly Father loves us and is in sovereign control of our lives. Even if we don’t always understand exactly why we’re going through such trials, God has promised in His Word that “all things work together for good to those who love God, for those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28 NKJV).
He will never permit anything to happen to you, His child, that He will not somehow work together for your good. Of course, you may be tempted to feel like a lot of things have happened that don’t look very good to you. But with time, you finally found out sooner or later that somehow or another they did work together for good.—Or you will yet discover that, whether in this life or in the next!
The following true story illustrates this principle:
One chilly winter morning, a fishing fleet launched out from a small harbor on the east coast of Newfoundland. In the afternoon there arose a great storm. When night settled, not a single vessel of all the fleet had found its way back into port. All night long, wives, mothers, children, and sweethearts paced up and down the windswept beach, wringing their hands and calling on God to save their lost loved ones. To add to the horror of the situation, one of their cottages caught fire. Since the men were away, it was impossible to put out the blaze and save it.
When morning broke, to the joy of all, the entire fleet had returned safely to harbor in the bay. But there was one face which was a picture of despair—the wife of the man whose home had been destroyed in the fire. Meeting her husband as he landed, she cried, “We are ruined! Our home and everything in it were destroyed by fire!” But the man exclaimed to her surprise, “Thank God for that fire! It was the light of our burning cottage that safely guided the whole fleet into port.”
Whatever God does or allows in the lives of His children who love Him, He always does so in love. Look to Jesus in your times of trouble, and trust in the promise in His Word that whatever you’re going through, He will truly work together for good. “For every one of God’s promises is ‘Yes’ in Christ, and through him we also say ‘Amen’ to the glory of God” (2 Corinthians 1:20 CSB).