God Uses Bad For Good

Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. – (Psalm 73:1)

Yesterday, we began answering the question: “Why do bad things happen to good people?” (If you missed yesterday’s devotional, I encourage you to go back and read it.) We dove into the story of Asaph and began learning from his life. Today, we’re going to continue that conversation by discussing one more thing we can do when we’re in a similar position to Asaph’s, as he described in Psalm 73.

The second thing we must do is recognize the dilemma of good and evil. Even when you introduce God, that doesn’t solve the problem; it really exposes the problem. You see, something bothered Asaph that also bothers us. It goes back to the very first thing Asaph says about God. “Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart” (Psalm 73:1).

He goes on to say that God is “the Sovereign Lord.” God is all good and God is all-powerful. He knows that God could forbid trouble from ever coming to any of us if He chose to. If God is sovereign, that means nothing happens to us unless God either causes it or God allows it. He keeps bad things from happening to us. He does it all throughout Scripture. He kept the lions from eating Daniel. He kept the fire from burning Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He kept the giant, Goliath, from killing David. So, we know He can do it, but He doesn’t always do it. And that’s the dilemma we must wrestle with.

What we have to remember is that God wants to use even the bad things in our lives to mature us and grow us, to force us to look to him, to place our trust in him. Some of us will do that in good health, and some of us will do that battling illness. Some of us will do that having a lot, and some of us will do that having a little.

The point is God is going to get every one of us to the same destination, but He is not going to get all of us there the same way. At the end of the day, everything will be put together in such a way and used in such a way it will be for our ultimate good and for His eternal glory.

Dear Lord, as I’m walking through tough circumstances and seasons, I pray that you will help me to remember that you can use these trials for good. Help me to trust your plan and your provision above all else. And give me the strength to endure whatever comes my way while I rest in your sovereignty. In Jesus’ name, amen.