Lessons Learned [2]

As I mentioned previously, Charity and I have recently come out of an intense time of learning. If it my desire to record some of these lessons learned for the sake of perhaps encouraging others. It is also my desire that I do not forget the lessons learned, even by encouraging accountability from readers to help me remember these lessons.

Lesson Two: God's goodness

And we know 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; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.--Romans 8:28-30

Non-believers and immature Christians will say:

I am facing this trial, despite the fact that God is good.

Their trial and God's goodness are not related. They will seek to construct a system where God excuses Himself from sovereign responsibility while we endure a trial. They know God must be good, yet He does not seem to be acting good at the moment.

A slightly more mature believer will say:

I am facing this trial, yet God is good.

This person will be tempted to acknowledge God's goodness in the results that will come from the trial, but not in the trial itself. They trust that God can "trump" any situation and make it turn good.

A matured believer will say:

I am facing this trial because God is good.

While waiting to hear Charity's test results, many well meaning people would tell me how they were praying. Often, I would hear people say things like, "God is good. I just know that the test results are going to come back OK." However, by God's grace, God pushed me deeper into the Text. Real peace is not in trusting your desired outcome because you claim God's goodness. Peace is found in trusting that God's goodness is revealed in the trial, not just the results.

Through this recent situation, God reminded me of passage after passage dealing with His sovereignty and drove me to remembering the goal when enduring a trial. The goal is not merely survival. The goal is not just to trust God for the results. The goal is to trust God for the trial.