When the Bad Doesn't Seem Good

 

When the Bad Doesn't Seem Good

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

Often there are things in our lives that we wish were different. We wish we could instantly mend broken or struggling relationships.  When we are facing physical problems, we wish we could find some quick fix-it answers or maybe just answers! Other times we see weaknesses in our lives that we wish we could fix overnight. Then there are those situations where the timing is not working out like we think it should, and we end up having to wait on God -- again! These times are so hard, and we wonder how in the world any good could come out of them. 

Facing bad times is not fun for anyone, but it is often in these times that we realize how desperately we need God. When life is going easy, we tend to forget how important things are like our daily time with God. When we hit these hard times, it is then that we are reminded that we must run to Jesus. We are reminded of how weak we really are. Joni Eareckson Tada said, “the weaker we are, the harder we must lean on God --- and the harder we lean on him, the stronger we discover him to be.” 

The trials we face in this life also serve as a pathway for discovering who God really is. As we lean hard on God, we discover that His strength is above and beyond what we ever imagined. We find Him to be dependable and trustworthy in every situation that we face. 

It is also in these hard times that we become more like Jesus. As we draw closer to God and learn more about who He is, God refines us to make us into the person He wants us to be. As we look back and see how much we have grown through our struggles, we can say with the psalmist “it is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes” (Psalms 119:71).

Whatever you are facing right now, remember that our trials serve to remind us of how weak we really are and how amazingly strong God is. Even though it doesn’t seem like it at the moment, remember that God is using our circumstances for our good and forming us into person that He wants us to be. “For when I am weak, then am I strong” (2 Cor 12:10).

-by Danae Walters