Perspective
If you hang around me long enough, one of the things you will discover about me is that I love to listen to music by MercyMe. Perhaps some of you are attending their concert this evening at ShoWare Center. Recently, I was listening to their song, "Better Days Coming." This is an uplifting song about persevering through trials and suffering. At one point in the song the lead singer, Bart Millard, sings, “If it’s not good, then it’s not over yet.” What a great reminder of the importance of having perspective. It got me thinking about the peace, comfort, and hope that God’s covenant faithfulness provides in times of trouble.
Paul says in Romans 8:28–29 that “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren.”
It is easy for us to imagine that God will cause all good things to work together for our good. But Paul is not saying that all things are good. Paul is saying that even the bad things in our lives, from our perspective at least, are being used by God to sovereignly provide for our greater good. But when things don’t appear to be going our way, it can be easy to lose this perspective. The weight of trials, suffering, and grief can seem crushing at times. When this happens, tunnel vision sets in, we lose perspective, and it can be hard to see beyond our current experience. You might even be tempted to think that things will never get better.
But Paul encourages us to remember that God has a greater purpose in the difficult days of trials and suffering. Ultimately that purpose is His Glory and our good. As Jerry Bridges so eloquently points out in his book, "Trusting God," there is a “two-fold objective of God's providence: His own glory and the good of His people. These two objectives are never antithetical; they are always in harmony with each other. God never pursues His glory at the expense of the good of His people, nor does He ever seek our good at the expense of His glory. He has designed His eternal purpose so that His glory and our good are inextricably bound together.”
What a great comfort the goodness of God’s character provides in the midst of our struggles. We must remind ourselves of the fact that trials and suffering are just one page in the story of our lives, and it is not the last page. If things aren’t good today, that means God is not done changing us. The story is not over, and God is up to something good. That is a guarantee!
In Revelation 21:5, Jesus says, “Behold, I am making all things new. … these words are faithful and true.” These words are faithful and true because the One who said them is faithful and true. So, when tunnel vision begins to set in, lift up your eyes to the One who made the heavens and the earth. Your help to endure and persevere comes from Him. And remember, better days are coming! Your suffering is not the end, so don’t give up! The sovereign hands that are currently working in your trials are also the good and wise hands that are working to mold you into something greater. He will not allow you to stumble, and He will not rest or take His eyes off you until all His work is accomplished (Psalm 121:1–3).
Dan Brewer
“The absence of blessings—rejection, vanity, reviling, illness, poverty—often is the crucible in which we learn to love God for who he is. In our idolatry we make gifts out to be gods, and make the Giver into the errand boy of our desires.”
— David Powlison (former author, teacher, counselor, Executive Director of Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation, Senior Editor of the Journal of Biblical Counseling, now at home with the Lord)”