Is it really all good?

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have your kids come in from playing and tell you that you no longer had a back yard?   To look out you window and see that your backyard had begun to slide towards the neighbor's property?  In a twenty-four hour period to be told that you could no longer inhabit your home?  This is the home you planned to raise your children in and grow old in.  Now you no longer had a home?  What would you do and where would you go?

I pray you never face this dilemma, yet a family in our church is having to face this dilemma.  The Walkers have had to leave their home of seven years because the ground around it is no longer stable.  Can you imagine ending up homeless because of a random act of nature?  For many of us, our first question would be, "God, why are you doing this?"  We may question God's wisdom and His love for us.  I'm not sure how I would respond, but my question in all of this has been:  Does Romans 8:28 still apply?  Can even this loss of a home work out for the good?

As you would guess, my answer would be "Yes".  You would probably think I would answer in the affirmative because I am a pastor and that is what I am supposed to say.  You might be thinking that I would answer differently if it were my home.  Perhaps, but eventually the truth of this passage would bear out it my life.  The human author of this verse is Paul, who has spent his Christian life homeless and in peril.  He faces death and prison on a daily basis.  Yet, he knows God is trustworthy.  He has seen how his own trials have added to the Kingdom and how these struggles have opened doors for witnessing.  This passage is not written by a theologian who spent his life nestled away in the safe cocoon of a seminary, but a missionary who has faced every difficulty and threat know to man because of his faith in Christ.  So, yes, the Walkers will see good in this...eventually.  That doesn't mean it's not painful or discouraging, but God still loves them and has good in store for them.

I'm not sure what has threatened the foundation of your life and faith, but I am sure God wants to bring something good from it.  Whether this is a dilemma of our own making or whether it is a dilemma from which we have no control.  I would encourage you to cling to this verse and let God bring about good.  Hold on to your faith, testify to God's goodness and persevere.   I pray that this Sip will refresh you as you face the dilemmas of your life.