When He Said “All Things”, He Meant It (Part 2)

Verse of the day: Romans 8:26-27 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

Waiting can be one of the greatest tests of our faith as we await the fulfillment of God’s promise to work all things out for our good. While we are trying to endure our trials, many of us will turn to God in prayer (which is the proper response to trials). However, our prayers often turn into bargaining sessions with God or prayers which are more selfish in nature than we may realize. Quite often, depending on how severe we view the trial, we may not even know where to begin or what to say. We, as born again believers, should find great comfort in knowing that the Holy Spirit who indwells us, also helps us in these times. When all we can do is groan in the midst of challenging circumstances, we can rest assured that the One who knows what is in our hearts will intercede on our behalf. He not only will intercede, but He will also provide us with the strength to endure and move forward in our weakest moments. As human beings who do not like pain and suffering, we can be pretty shortsighted when it comes to dealing with the challenges God might allow into our lives, and seeing what good can come out of them (Eccl 6:12). We have a very short view of what is going on in our lives, while the One who calls us to trust Him sees the whole picture. Because we can only see what we see, we have a tendency to ask for solutions, in prayer, that are not in line with what the Lord may want to accomplish by allowing the circumstances to be prolonged. However, we can know this; that God will not abandon us in our time of need, and will walk with us every step of the way (Heb 13:5-6). Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are great examples of men who literally walked through the fire for refusing to bow to anyone other than God, and experienced the saving grace of the Lord (Daniel 3). Sometimes God’s plan is to allow us to walk through the fire so that we can see His power at work, and build our trust and faith in Him. The Israelites experienced this when they reached the Red Sea, during their exodus from Egypt, and Pharaoh and his army pursued them. God allowed them to be in a position with absolutely nowhere to go, at least from their perspective. It was only then that He was able to show them His great power of deliverance when He parted the Sea for them so that they could cross on dry land (Exodus 14). This God who we read about in these biblical accounts is the same God who saved us and we serve today. The Holy Spirit, praying on our behalf, helping us through our difficulties, is the same God who helped those three men and the people of Israel. All things work out for our good, ultimately, because God works out His will in each situation, and accomplishes His purposes (not ours), regardless of how difficult or impossible it may seem to us. God has set up so many safeguards for His children as He brings us through the most difficult of times. The bottom line is that we must believe this to be so. No matter what the outcome, it is always in accordance to God’s will and purpose, and for this reason it always works out for our good, and ultimately God’s glory.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing their sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).