He Can Work It Out!

God has a marvelous way of working things toward His ends. Sometimes when we are in the midst of things we don’t see it, but in time it often becomes clear that God was ultimately working out His Will. As the church began to grow during the first century, the fellowship enjoyed was very sweet. (i.e. Acts 2:46-47; Acts 4:32-35) However, those opposed to the message of salvation in Christ seemed determined to squelch that spirit and disrupt the openness of sharing the message. Following the stoning of Stephen, a great persecution began to scatter the believers, except for the Apostles who remained in Jerusalem. ( Acts 8:1) Such could have been perceived by some as being counter productive. However, that was far from being the case.

We read…
“Now those who were scattered WENT ABOUT PREACHING THE WORD.” ( Acts 8:4 ESV)

That was the beginning of the fulfillment of what the Lord had declared to His disciples prior to His ascension to heaven. ( Acts 1:8) The scattering did not stop the growth, but rather enhanced the opportunity for spreading the message of Jesus.

Note the following account I came across in a recent church publication. It provides another example that encourages us to look for what God will work out of the situations we might see as unfortunate.

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The train blew its whistle and wove its way along the winding rails of the hometown of a brother in Hungary. A communist customs agent came through checking all the baggage. The sack of Bibles sat at our brother’s feet. By his side lay his own personal Bible with notes and sermon outlines. The customs agent looked at the sack first. He opened it and thumbed through the pages of the Bible and began to sail them out the window of the speeding train. As if for spite, the agent looked down at the open, used (obviously personal) Bible of our brother, grabbed it, and sailed it out the window to parts unknown. For three years our brother bemoaned the fact that his good Bible with so many notes and sermons was no longer his constant companion. “I believe Romans 8:28, but, Lord, how can this work out for good?” he wondered. One day he received his personal Bible through the mail. A letter enclosed read, “Dear Brother in Christ: Thank you, thank you, for the use of your Bible. I found it by the railroad three years ago. I have kept it, read it, and studied it often. My family and I have written many Scriptures down on paper and many more in our hearts. We cannot thank you enough, for now maybe we can go to heaven. … But brother, please forgive me for keeping your Bible so long. I thought that if I did not read it now, I might never again find a Bible to read.” “Oh, Great God and Father of us all, forgive me for my doubting,” wept our Hungarian brother.
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How much do we believe what Paul encouraged?
“And we know that FOR THOSE WHO LOVE GOD ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD, for those who are called ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE.” ( Romans 8:28 ESV)

It is true that not everything is good. However, even in those things might be hidden the seed of something amazing. The devil loves when we are made to feel we are (or will be) defeated. May we never give him that satisfaction. Instead, even though we may not be able to see how, let us still trust in God’s power to work out His Will! Our loss for the moment could be for the Kingdom’s gain.

Have a great day ALWAYS LIVING WITH TRUSTING ANTICIPATION OF GOD’S GOOD!
Carl

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