This post was originally posted Feb. 18, 2010.
Romans 8:28-29 (NASB)
28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;
I have used these verses in counseling for a very long time. I understand that it is easier for me to direct people to these verses in my office than it is to actually live with that same confidence. I am watching several situations at the present time wondering what in the world is God doing here. Maybe that is the wrong question. The right question might be “What in heaven is God doing here?” Just saying my focus might be off.
I know that I do not have to understand what God is doing…I have to trust Him and trust that He is too loving to hurt anyone and too wise to make a mistake. A former pastor of mine has made that statement for years and so I just borrowed it from him.
I will be honest with you today that I do not totally understand the reasoning behind much of what God does. I do not know why He allows people to make the decisions that they make that have such an effect on other people’s lives. I do not know why He does not make His way more clear and remove so much of our personal interpretations of His Word, which creates differences in denominations and even within churches. I do not know why one person believes that God has put a family together and another would believe that it is the right thing to do to leave that union. I know that each one of us is a priest, therefore we can speak to God directly and He speaks to us as well.
As I write this today, I want to focus on what I do know. I know that God wants to have an intimate relationship with each one of us. He is at work in our lives to draw us closer to Him and cause us to trust Him more and more each day. I know that God does not do anything that does not bring Him gl
ory for all eternity. Also, He wants us to give Him glory through our lives daily. I know that we were created to worship God in all that we do. I also know that Satan, along with his imps of Hell, wants us to falter in our lives as much as possible. I know that Satan has spent all of his time fighting against the glory of God and will not stop until God totally stops him in the end. I know that God is bigger and stronger than Satan will ever be. I also know that God is with me going through the circumstances I face daily.
There are so many more things that could be listed in the previous paragraph. God tells us to know Him. He wants us to totally experience Him, like we experience our spouse. He loves us beyond our own imagination and He wants to show Himself in all of what is happening around us.
The question at this point has to be “do you know God like this?” Do you have difficulty with the fact that everything here on earth is not easy all the time? Does God meet your expectations? I have had to change my expectations to fit God’s Word. How about you?
After spending more than 25 years on church staffs, God has allowed me to take the experiences and knowledge that I gained to develop a Biblical Counseling ministry. The basis of this ministry is to allow God’s Word to shine on the main issues in peoples’ lives in order to bring His resolutions to problems.
Helping Others Using God’s Principles