My fellow sufferer,

To be completely blunt, these past few months have been really tough for me. Life has not been fair to me. I’ve gone through so much emotional pain and physical hurt that I wasn’t sure what to do anymore.

Have you ever been where I am? Where I was?

Things just not going your way. Life hurts.

Maybe a boyfriend or girlfriend dumped you, maybe your spouse threw out the “D” word, maybe you’ve lost a close friend or family member…maybe even a child.

Yeah. It hurts, right?

It feels as if the whole world is falling in on you.

Like you have nowhere to go…like you’re being crushed on all sides.

Yep. I know that feeling.

What if I told you that God is using that for your ultimate good, and that He knows exactly what you are going through..and that He is even allowing these things to happen in your life…crazy, right?

But listen to me.

God uses the hard times in our lives to make us look more like His Son!

Scripture is clear about how God uses suffering and affliction for our purification and transformation to look more like Jesus.
Consider these verses:

“Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver;
I have tried you in the furnace of affliction.”
[Isaiah 48:10]

“Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.”
[Rev 3:19]

Heck, the whole book of Job.

God allows, and uses the hard times of our lives to shape us, and mold us.
He is working all things for the good of those who are called according to his purpose and love Him [Romans 8:28].

That doesn’t mean that right now, in this moment, you are seeing the good that is coming of this pain and hurt…but in the future – when it’s over and you look back – you will see how God really is using this for your good.

If you want a prime (one of many) example of how God uses bad in our lives to work for the good of those who love Him, look at Joseph in the Old Testament.

Thrown into a pit and sold into slavery by his brothers, framed, and even imprisoned for years Joseph finally was set in a place of power. Eventually he became literally second-in-command over Egypt and developed a unique way for food storage; so he was able to save and provide food for his family – including his brothers who already did so much negativity to him!

Do you think Joseph was always happy-go-lucky about his situation?

You think he was okay with what he was going through?
Probably not.
He probably thought it sucked real bad.

But in the end, Joseph was able to say these words in spirit and truth:

“What you intended for evil, God used it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” – Gen 50:20

He was able to boldly and confidently tell his family that what they had intended for evil, God used for good.

The word ‘intended for’ is the Hebrew word ‘knit together’ – so it reads literally:

‘What you knit together to harm me, God came behind and re-knit for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.’

Not to mention, in Chapter 45 of Genesis, Joseph tells his brothers 3 (or four) times that is wasn’t them that did this to him, but God. God is the one who allowed this to happen so that He could be here…to save many lives.

Going to the New Testament, we see Paul.

He tells us to join in Christ in His sufferings, so that we can be molded more in the image of Him.
 (Consider Phil 1:29, 1 Peter 3:13-17, Romans 8:17, 2 Cor 4:11)
Pretty intense words there…but it also (suddenly) makes sense, doesn’t it?

To bring the point home; God used the evil hearts of man to accomplish His ultimate goal:

Sacrificing His Son to save the lives of many.

He used the evil hearts of man (once again) to accomplish His plan.
Thank God that He does this sort of thing!

Over and over in scripture we see examples of God using wickedness (and allowing it) to accomplish His will.

We shouldn’t be confused and feel helpless when we run into hard times, and we should trust Him when we do have hard times…because He is in it, knitting away…working away…making it all work for your ultimate good.

I don’t know what you’re going through.
But I can tell you, boldly and confidently, that God IS USING this for your good.
Even though it doesn’t feel like it right now – He is with you.

He is holding your hand.
You’re going to make it through this.

God is on your side.
He is knitting together this evil for your good, and for the good of many.

He has your best in mind – He promises this.

You may not see the results right away, or even in your lifetime…but His plan is always for the best.
Always.

I am rooting for you.

He is rooting for you.
Let’s fight this fight together.

Let’s run this race well.