|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known (1 Corinthians 13:12, ESV).
Riding my bike this week, crossing an open field, very gray, and then rays of sunlight through the clouds. I thought, “I can’t see the sun, but I know its location through these rays.”
After the field, there’s a place called the “Coffee Depot” in Urbana, Ohio, where I often stop for coffee and a scone. Few people were outside, and no texts needed immediate answers, so I began thinking, “When I can’t clearly see Jesus, what passages of Scripture give me hope that He’s there and working for my good?”
Passage One: The obvious verse…
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).
Let’s remember the two caveats of Romans 8:28 before claiming the “all things work together for our good” — “those who love God and are called according to his purpose.”
Passage Two: A recent favorite of mine…
How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you (Psalm 139:17-18).
Not only does this verse affirm God’s attitude toward us, but it’s a great verse to have memorized and repeat several times before sleeping at night. Too many of us struggle with sleep. Know that, however bleak things seem at night, when we awake, God is right there.
Passage Three: The goodness of God…
Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change (James 1:16-17).
Questions and doubt become our path to increased faith. When I wonder why something has happened, when I ask why God didn’t do something, I’m reminded of this thought: “every good gift is from above,” and of this reminder: “there is no variation or shifting shadows” with God.
God is good, and not playing with my emotions has been my rock during trials.
Passage Four: Very helpful as I age…
Who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s (Psalm 103:4-5).
God never stops working through us, so we must never stop. The pits of our younger years produce an enduring hope later in life. But always think, “God will never stop working through me.”
Passage Five: Overcoming betrayal…
In my years as a pastor, I noted that when people began talking too much about what others had done to them, even if their statements were true, they deteriorated spiritually. The antidote to anger and bitterness is…
He has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:5b-6).
I pray that you get many bike rides this summer (or golf games or days at the beach) and that these verses go with you, giving you peace!
(Click to enlarge to see detail.)
