GOD’S HANDWRITING
He writes in characters too grand
For our short sight to understand;
We catch but broken strokes
And try to fathom the mysterious why of withered hopes,
Of death, of life, the endless war, the useless strife,
But there, with larger, clearer sight,
We shall see this – His way was right.
John Oxenham in “Bees in Amber”

Back in January, The Sweetheart and I attended the Because of the Times conference in Alexandria, Louisiana. We try to go every year because it is just so good. I always come away with something to encourage, challenge or change me. (That IS a good thing!)

This year there were many high notes, but one thing that was said I have repeated over and over to myself and used to encourage others. I hope it blesses you as much as it has me.

Pastor Michael Williams, Apopka, Florida, was preaching and he said this,

“Whatever you are going through, or feel like the enemy has brought upon you, God can OVERRULE it, UNDO it or REDEEM it for HIS purpose!”

Wow. Truer words were never spoken, as they say.

This is MY GOD.

He doesn’t put things on us, doesn’t burden us with trials and tribulations and delight in seeing us suffer. What He DOES do, and CAN do, is use those instances as STEPPING STONES for us, which will in turn bring GLORY to Him!

Overrule: I could not help but use a dictionary definition of this word! “…to reject or disallow by exercising one’s superior authority.” Does this sound familiar to you? Do you know ANYONE who has more AUTHORITY than Jesus Christ?!

If He decides it is for our good, He can overrule any circumstance, any situation with merely a nod of His head or the breath from His mouth. When He created the world, God simply SPOKE things into existence…and if He can create a universe in this fashion, do not think for one moment that He cannot but SPEAK to your situation and it will be fixed in an instant!

He has ALL AUTHORITY, all power in His hands! ”…Thou alone, whose name is the LORD, Art the Most High over all the earth.” Psalms 83:18.

Undo: Oh how we pray for Him to undo all of the uncomfortable seasons in our lives! When sickness comes, when financial hardship is upon us, when a prodigal refuses to come home…we run to the Lord and plead for Him to “undo” our situation. We just want things to be made “right” again.

Yes, He can!

But there are times when He sees down the road, He knows what would be best for our heart, for our family, for the Body of Christ.

A dear reader shared this precious comment with me this week: “My deepest encounter with the Lord came during the year that our son was battling leukemia. He went on to be with the Lord. As difficult as that season was, I am grateful for the presence of the Lord. I learned so much about God.”

Haven’t we found this to be true? If He chooses NOT to undo it, we can know it was His blessed will and He will give us STRENGTH to endure.

“As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.” 2 Samuel 22:31 NKJV.

Redeem: In the book of 1 Peter we will find how God uses our “trials” for our good and redeems them for His purpose:

“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.” 1 Peter 5:6-10. NKJV.

This verse used to confuse me. I struggled with the “…after you have suffered a while…”, always thinking, “Why would He allow us to suffer? Why would He want us to suffer?”

But I was missing the verse before it. “…knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.”

Everyone suffers! The world is full of suffering! It is a sinful world, full of sinful people, evil deeds and wickedness…it’s been that way since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden.

Jesus said Himself, “In this life you will have trouble…” John 16:33.

But He can redeem it for His purpose…verse ten tells us how He will accomplish it.

Perfect.

Establish.

Strengthen.

Settle you.

Perfect us, other versions say “restore”. Where we were once perhaps fading away, this trial can restore us to where we need to be! It will establish us; put us on a firm foundation, believing God for who He says He is and what He can do. It will strengthen our faith, root us and ground us in scripture and in confidence of the God we serve.

And it will settle us. Calm us. Give us a peace that passes all understanding. It will make us KNOW without a doubt, what this great God in Christ Jesus really is.

Our redemption! He already paid the price so we wouldn’t have to.

These trials in our life will bring great glory to God by our witness of His keeping power.

Others will see Jesus in us and realize He carried us through something that others in the world might have collapsed from, or possibly even had a mental breakdown! But our God took us THROUGH the trial and used it for His glory and our strength to know Him even better.

So when trials come upon you…and they will…remember what Pastor Williams says,

Take great comfort in the fact that He is truly working all things for your good.