Trials and hardships will happen to everyone, even to us as believers of Christ. We can easily think that God isn’t for us when we are facing hardships. However, God uses trials to mature us for our good. No matter what we may be facing, we can rest in the assurance that “in all things God works for the good of those who love Him” (Romans 8:28). God is for your good.
I learned a lot from my recent trip to North Carolina.
There were constant “road bumps” throughout our trip that caused me to think, “maybe God doesn’t want us to go here” or “maybe He isn’t for us.” However, every trial gave me the opportunity to see God’s faithfulness come through.
We had booked a car rental a week ago, but upon arriving and waiting for over an hour, we were told we couldn’t use the car to go out of Florida.
We were sent to the airport to rent a car where my husband then had to wait three hours to pick up the car. He was the last person that night to receive a car, but to our surprise, they upgraded our car (with no extra charge) to a 2020 car with leather seats and spacious room. We had originally booked the cheapest compact car available, but found ourselves driving a luxurious car at the cost of a compact car.
I praised God, but little did I know that we would face more “road bumps.” We had planned to visit the Grandfather Mountain. The next day, we arrived at 11 am in the morning ready to hike. When we got there, we were informed that we had to book ahead of time. All the time slots, however, were already taken until 4 PM.
I thought once again, “Maybe God never wanted us to go here.” What I didn’t realize was that God was actually setting us up for an amazing time.
Because we didn’t go to Grandfather Mountain first, we were able to do a mini-hike along the overlook. This was one of the places I had wanted to visit. The moment we finished that mini-hike it started raining. During the rain, we drove to see a nearby waterfall. By the time 4 PM hit, the rain stopped and we were able to do our strenuous hike in Grandfather Mountain.
If we had gone to Grandfather Mountain first, we would have gotten rained on during our hike. We would also have been too tired to hike the overlook since the hike in Grandfather Mountain was strenuous.
The times I thought that God was working against us, He was actually working for us.
Sometimes God allows us to go through trials to see His goodness and grow our faith in Him. Our 𝒔𝒆𝒕𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒍𝒔 are meant to mature us for our good. We can face our trials with joy when we know God has a purpose for them. James 1:2-4 says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
While the hardships we faced at North Carolina were not as bad when compared to other trials that I have been through or ones that you may have been through, we can still trust that God is able to use what was meant for our harm for our good and His glory.
We see this through the life of Joseph in the Bible. He got sold as a slave by his brothers and thrown into prison many times. He did nothing wrong, yet he found himself many times in places where we can say he didn’t deserve to be. Despite the hardships that Joseph faced, God was still working for his good. He was preparing Joseph all along to fulfill his destiny to save his people and others. Joseph ended up interpreting Pharaoh’s dream and used God’s wisdom to advise Pharaoh to save food for a famine to come. He was then promoted right-hand under Pharaoh and ruled over Egypt.
Joseph says to his brothers in Genesis 50:20, “‘You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.’”
Whatever hardships you may be going through, will you continue to trust that God can use it for your good and the good of others?
God cares more about 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 us than leading us on an easy journey. It’s only through trials and testings that we can 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞. We may be tempted to think that God has left us in the midst of our hardships, but Psalm 23:4 reminds us that even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, His rod and staff comforts us. Trust that God is always working for your good. Keep persevering because you will see the goodness of the Lord (Psalm 27:13).
Psalm 25:3 says, “No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame.” You can put your trust in God and know that He will never fail you. No matter what your circumstances look like, God is able to turn things around for your good and His glory. So remember, God is for your good.
Listen more on this topic in our latest Podcast “God Is For Your Good”
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Prayer: Jesus, I thank you that no matter what I am facing, I can trust you have a purpose for this season. You are a good father and you are always for my good.
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