Devotion: For the Greater Good

When times are tough, people can be heard asking, “Where is God?!” To be clear, He is very present and very active in all circumstances, even the tough ones… in fact, especially the tough ones!

Here is a truth to remember: Trust that God is using all circumstances to accomplish His will. 28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

God has a plan and He is working His plan and His will in our lives. No matter what happens, God is at work for the good of those who love Him! Do you believe that? That is not real easy when life isn’t going the way you would like.

But read between the lines in Romans 8:28. It doesn’t say, “we know that in ‘some things’ God works for good…” or “that in ‘most things’ God works for good”… or “that in ‘good circumstances’, God works for good.” You get the picture. “In all things God works for good”… Does that include life’s most difficult circumstances? Yep!

Believe that God can use the most difficult seasons in your life for “greater good!” There is a Christian theological doctrine called the doctrine of meticulous providence or the “greater good” doctrine. This doctrine states that “God will allow no evil except that which prevents a greater evil or brings about a greater good.”

What this means to us is that nothing that happens in this world is outside the will of God. He can use anything that happens to accomplish His will. When we understand and embrace this truth, we can experience peace, even if and when we don’t fully understand what is happening, or why we are going through tough times. The questions is, will you fully trust God in all circumstances, even the really difficult seasons of life? If you don’t, you will be troubled and afraid. If you do, you will be at peace.

Joseph’s story, in the Old Testament (Genesis), is an excellent illustration of this truth and doctrine. His life was like a roller coaster ride, filled with ups and downs; but God was with him every step of the way, using every circumstance in his life to lead Joseph exactly where He wanted him to go, ultimately to be in position to save his country and his whole family from a great famine. Ironically, Joseph would save the very brothers who had abandoned him years before, selling him into slavery. He would later say to them: 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. Genesis 50:20.

Joseph understood that the suffering he endured in his life was not random. It was for God’s purpose, to accomplish His will and to save his family and his people. Joseph saw God’s larger purpose and plan, even though it took many years.

God is at work in your life. When you believe that, you will experience peace, even when you don’t understand. You may not understand, not now, but will you believe God is at work in all things?

Faithfully trust God, no matter what, so you can walk through the most painful seasons with complete peace.

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

We are promised God’s transcendent peace, when we pray - with thanksgiving - about everything, knowing and believing that all things work together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose!

If you missed it, click here to listen to Finding Peace When I Don’t Understand. Reach out to me or any of our Watermark staff leaders if we can encourage you or pray for you in any way! We are coordinating our online Life Groups now. For more info or to join a group, contact Leslie@mywatermark.org or your current group leader for more info. We are also collecting food for our Marketplace Ministry since our ministry partner FeedNC is not supplying right now. Contact heath@mywatermark.org for more info.

We will be posting a new sermon on Sunday at 11:00 am… Finding Peace When My Faith Is Waning. I hope you will watch! We will have tools for worship and children's ministry too! Go to www.mywatermark.org.

Blessings,

Pastor Joel