This week Elisabeth Edmonds is sharing devotional thoughts. If you’d like, you can learn more about her on the contributors page.
Probably most of y’all have read this verse many times, memorized it, and been reminded of it during difficult times. But it’s easy for familiar verses to become cliche, leading us to skim over them rather than draw toward them when times get tough.
Yes, He works things together for good, we know in our minds, but how well do we truly believe that in our day-to-day lives? When things don’t seem or feel good? Yes, He works things together for good, but what do we do right now when things aren’t yet obviously good? How are we supposed to feel then? What are we supposed to think?
I read the book Gentle and Lowly about a year ago, and it wonderfully shares and describes what the heart of our Savior is like. The One Who died on the Cross for us is closer today than we may often think. He’s with us when we’re at home and work, cares about the hard and “good” parts of our day, and opens His arms to us when we fail.
And when circumstances come that we don’t understand, or even when just small daily things become overwhelming, He doesn’t just tell us to stand tall and be strong. He says, “Come to me.” For He knoweth our frame; He remembers that we are dust” (Ps. 103:14).
And while yes, His strength and hope can lead us to smile and walk with joy through the day despite other things going on, His strength can also be made perfect in our weakness as we cling to Him in our tears. So when things are hard – it’s ok for them to be hard. It’s ok for them to feel hard. It’s ok to not feel like things are good although we believe in our hearts that good is what God ultimately does.
We can remind ourselves of Who He is, immerse ourselves in learning His character, and learn of His love more deeply so we can understand and trust it more. We can believe He will work things together for good for those who love Him – to make us more like His precious Son.
But sometimes what molds us to be like Christ feels like it’s breaking us in the process. And sometimes it breaks parts of us tha twe must let go to better shine Christ out of the lives He’s given us. And in those moments, we can cling to the truth that He’s good yet cry out to Him that it’s hard.
And amazingly, we can know that He immensely cares. He cares about you, His child, and He has a beautiful plan for your life. And though our definition of beautiful may differ from His, we can trust His goodness and walk with Him daily, relying on the strength and wisdom of our gentle and compassionate Father. 🙂
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