Learning To Relax! God Is Working for My Good

In Romans 8:28 I read, “In all things God works for the good of those who love him." (NIV)

Everything God does is for my good and because he loves me. The Bible says, “All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful” (Psalm 25:10 NIV), and “In all things God works for the good of those who love him” (Romans 8:28 NIV).

This is something I’ll need to remind myself of again and again, because any time God says “no” to my prayers, Satan will shoot darts of doubt in me. He’s going to whisper lies: “God doesn’t love you. He doesn’t care about you; otherwise, he’d give you everything you want!” But Satan is a liar.

I don’t have to understand God’s answer to my prayer to know it’s motivated by love.

God loves me too much to give me everything I ask for. So, when God says “no,” I’ve got three options: I can resist it, resent it, or relax in it.

I can resist God. I can fight him, get mad at him, turn my back on him, and say, “Okay, God, if you don’t play the game my way, I’m going to take matters into my own hands.” Too many walk away from God because God said “no” to their prayer. They didn’t trust that he had a bigger perspective, a better plan, and a greater purpose.

They walked away from God in resentment and rebellion. That’s the second thing, I can resent it. When I doubt God’s love like that, it makes me bitter and miserable. So many people have lived their entire lives in misery because they’ve never accepted the fact that God only does what’s good in their lives.

There is a third way to respond to God’s goodness: I can relax in it. When I believe that God always has my best interest at heart, I can look with new eyes at the things he does that don’t make sense.

I may not understand it. It may even be painful. But God is still good. He is loving, and he will never stop loving me. I can say, “Even in this, God’s love still remains.”

That’s the only kind of response that will bring me peace! Don’t resist or resent God’s work in my life. I can relax in the truth that it is always for my good.

In summary, God works in all things for the good of those who love him. Everything God does is for my good and because he loves me. This is something I’ll need to remind myself of again and again, because any time God says “no” to my prayers, Satan will shoot darts of doubt in me. I don’t have to understand God’s answer to my prayer to know it’s motivated by love. God loves me too much to give me everything I ask for. So, when God says “no,” I’ve got three options: I can resist it, resent it, or relax in it. I can resist God. I can fight him, get mad at him, turn my back on him, and say, if you don’t play the game my way, I’m going to take matters into my own hands. Too many walk away from God because God said “no” to their prayer. They didn’t trust that he had a bigger perspective, a better plan, and a greater purpose. They walked away from God in resentment and rebellion. When I doubt God’s love, it makes me bitter and miserable. So many people have lived their entire lives in misery because they’ve never accepted the fact that God only does what’s good in their lives. Or I can learn to relax in it. When I believe that God always has my best interest at heart, I can look with new eyes at the things he does that don’t make sense. I may not understand it. It may even be painful. But God is still good. He is loving, and he will never stop loving me. So don’t resist or resent God’s work in my life. I can relax in the truth that it is always for my good.

God works in "everything", not just isolated incidents, for my good. This doesn't mean that all that happens to me is good, as evil is prevalent in this fallen world. However, God is able to turn every circumstance around for my long-range good. He's not working in my life to make me happy, rather to fulfill his purpose for me. He does this because I choose to love him. He has called me. As a result I have a new trust in God's perspective and mindset. I trust in God, not in life's treasures; because my security is in heaven, not here on earth. I'm also being taught to not have my faith waver when pain or persecution comes, because I know that God is with me. 

Father, thank you for Your Word and Jesus as my savior and example. You want me and I need you in my life. Please give me Your strength for today and remind me in little ways that I can always believe in, have faith in and can trust you in everything. This includes being the authority for my life, the source of my self-worth and my hope for the future. You have my best interests in mind. So I ask you to help me to embrace the way you’ve made me; my gifting and passions. Help me to serve and fulfill the mission you have in mind for me.