Is there actually a divine purpose behind the bad things that happen in your life? Could it be that the sicknesses and calamities you experience are somehow a part of God's plan for you?
Before you can ever begin to experience the healing, delivering power of God, you've got to know the answer to those questions. You have to settle them once and for all. If you even suspect that God is the source of your misfortunes, you won't be able to believe Him for deliverance from them. Your faith will be crippled because you'll think that by escaping those things, you'll be opposing His will.
In order to receive all the benefits God desires to give you, you must be absolutely sure that He is a good God. You must be certain that His will for you is health, not sickness; prosperity, not poverty; happiness, not sorrow-- 100 percent of the time! Psalm 103 alone is enough to prove that's true. But if it's not enough to convince you, there are many others too. One of the best known verses is Psalm 136:1 that says, "O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever."
If religious traditions have robbed you of the goodness of God, if it's taught you He brings trouble into your life so He can teach you something, start today washing those traditions away with the truth. Get out your Bible and let God Himself tell you through His own Word that He is the God that heals you (Exod. 15:26). Dig into the Scriptures and discover for yourself that He is a God of mercy (Ps. 86:5), loving-kindness (Jer. 9:24), and compassion (Ps. 145:8).
Put your doubts to rest and open your heart to receive the truth about your heavenly Father. It's the only thing that can truly set you free.
Scripture Reading: Psalm 89:1-28
Believe God Will Help You
“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.” (Romans 5:6 NIV)
You learn to trust God by obeying him in small ways.
You probably agree God is the supreme ruler of the universe, powerful enough to overcome any problem or defeat any enemy, that “everything comes from him; everything happens through him; everything ends up in him” (Romans 11:36 MSG).
And, if this is true, then your struggle to give it all to God is not over the issue of whether or not he’ll be able to fulfill his promises — he clearly can do that.
Perhaps the resistance you and I exhibit when we’re faced with trust is because we seriously doubt God will look out for our best interests: “Yes, I believe God can work this out, but will he?”
Or, “I know I can work this out, but I’m not sure God will — at least I’m not sure he will do it the way I want to see it done.”
God patiently understands your hesitancy. He made the first move toward establishing a loving, trusting relationship with you. He didn’t wait until you could be trusted to receive his love, and he doesn’t insist you become trustworthy before he trusts you with precious gifts (Romans 5:6-8).
God supports our small steps of faith. When we obey God, even in small ways, “we find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand — out in the wide open spaces of God’s grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise” (Romans 5:2 MSG).
Talk About It
How do you exhibit trust in God’s promise to work for your good?
What seemingly small steps of faith do you need to take today toward greater trust in God?
Jon Walker’s new book, Breakfast with Bonhoeffer, is a story of God’s faithfulness during struggles with bipolar disorder, divorce, and economic uncertainty.
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