Positive and Expectant

“We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”—Romans 8:28 NLT

Life is filled with ups and downs. Joys and sorrows. Victories and defeats. Struggles and delays. No matter what we do, we will experience sunshine and storms. We know this because “he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike” (Matthew 5:45). And there is a time for everything, including birth and death (Ecclesiastes 3:2).

We want only good things to happen, but God sees purpose and design in everything. The Bible tells us, “I have created the blacksmith who fans the coals beneath the forge and makes the weapons of destruction. And I have created the armies that destroy” (Isaiah 54:16).

We may have a distinctly human perspective, but God sees everything from the perspective of eternity. And the Bible tells us that for those who love Him and are called according to His purposes, He “causes everything to work together for good.” We may see the short term and temporary. He sees the eternal.

These principles are easy to quote but can be hard to live. We need to be thankful and trusting as we enter every situation. We need to be expectant and positive, not negative or doubting, but filled with faith, not worried but confident.

We can have this confidence if we love God, know He has a call on our lives, and know we are “called according to His purpose.”

Reflection Question: Are you going through hard or puzzling circumstances right now?