Jesus Over 2020Sample

Is good always easy?

If God is good, then our lives should always be easy, right? My life should always be up and to the right, because that is how I see good. (I should never be the subject of a country music song.)

But everyone knows that isn’t how it goes. We look at certain situations, and they don’t seem good. At first glance, they seem bad. 

Somehow we think that “good“ must mean easy. But, good isn’t always easy, and good isn’t always obvious. Pandemics kill people. They crush economies. They destroy marriages. How do we make sense of that?

Romans 8:28 gives us some direction: “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 has been called “The Rosetta Stone“ of the Bible. It is the key to navigating life when it appears bad. We don’t need it when things are easy and obvious. We need it when things are hard and confusing.

For sure, there are experiences that will not make sense until we reach heaven. Bad people do bad things, and there is nothing good about that. If you’ve experienced pain at the hands of someone else, it hurts. It matters. But God does promise to restore it and use it for your good. 

When we see every circumstance through this verse, we catch a glimpse of good on the other side. Without it, we wilt. With it, we win. 

This is true of 2020. There has been loss, hardship, and conflict. But if we interpret our experience through 8:28, instead of 2020, we see it differently. What good has come? What good could God still be working out? How can I use it to clarify my life and bring God glory? 

Questions: 

Could God take the bad you’ve experienced in 2020 and make it good?

Is there something that you don’t believe God wants to make good?