God can use all things for the good

Horizon Vision

Let’s talk about hope today as we finish our look at Romans 8.

Romans 8 (New International Version)

²⁴For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? ²⁵But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

²⁶In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. ²⁷And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.²⁸And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Hope is no small matter in the Bible. The word itself appears more than 160 times, in dozens of contexts. Peter writes, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3). What God offers to us is a living hope — a renewable spiritual resource that is “living” because it connects us to a living Savior. Faith means learning to live toward a horizon we cannot fully see yet. God invites us to have a horizon vision.

Let me ask the obvious question: Do you have hope? Do you need hope? What difference would it make in your life to move from despair to hope? Having horizon vision is an act of hope. When we look up from our troubles and focus on the glory to come, that’s hope.

When our college-age daughter was undergoing chemo for 9 months, we created a hope ceremony that the whole family participated in together. We made a chain of paper rings and strung them in her bedroom, with one paper ring for each chemo session that was scheduled. Every time she completed a chemo treatment, we took the chain down and had our dog Annie break one circle with her paw. It gave us all hope to see that chain grow smaller and smaller each week until there were none left. Focusing on the hope chain gave Sarah horizon vision beyond her pain and nausea every day.

On a practical level, having the hope that comes from horizon vision gives us an eternal perspective can make a difference in the real decisions we make each day. We don’t need to be focused on getting ahead in this life because this life is not all there is! We don’t need to be consumed by shopping the latest trend, for this life is not all there is! We don’t need to spin in anger every time we watch the news, plot revenge against our ex, bad mouth our annoying neighbor, sabotage our coworker for a better position … for this life is not all there is!

So maybe we can choose to respond with gentleness when we’re really annoyed. We can support the marginalized, the disenfranchised and stop cutting people off on the highway. In these and many other ways, having an eternal perspective can help shape the life we lead every day.

This final verse of Romans 8 is my favorite in all the Bible. When I was an Associate Pastor at the Peachtree City United Methodist Church in Georgia, we had a huge building campaign to purchase 63 acres of land located 3 miles from our existing building, which we had completely outgrown. A massive multi-building plan was conceived, beginning with erecting a 1,000 seat sanctuary. When the floor was laid and the ceiling was finalized, we invited the congregation to come one evening and write their favorite Scripture in black sharpie markers on the cement floor before the carpet was laid down. I wrote this: ²⁸And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

In all things. In the bad things. In the good things. In the moments of deep trouble and the times of great joy. In the births and the deaths, in despair and in hope. God works in all of it for our good. That’s what we mean when we talk about having an eternal perspective. That’s what having horizon vision means. As you go about your day, keep your head held high and your eyes focused on the endless horizon of God’s promises.

And may the Holy Spirit fill your heart with hope.

Horizon Vision

Celebrate the Victories

Posted on June 30, 2023 by Betsy

Deception. Revenge. A double-cross. A beautiful queen. A wrathful king. Political intrigue. A nation hanging in the balance.

Believe it or not, this is not a description of the latest Netflix series or an update on the Harry and Meghan story. No, this twisting plot is from the Old Testament, and is found in a book that never mentions God once.

Intrigued?

Esther was a beautiful Jewess who was given to the Persian King Xerxes after she won a beauty pageant that was held to find a new queen. Her benefactor and older cousin Mordecai received a position in the palace as well, infuriating a jealous and insecure man named Haman. Haman then plotted to annihilate the jews in order to rid himself of this competition. But the plot backfired when Esther, now the queen, leveraged the king’s favor and asked him to save her people:

Esther 7 (Contemporary English Version)

7 The king and Haman were dining with Esther ²and drinking wine during the second dinner, when the king again said, “Esther, what can I do for you? Just ask, and I will give you as much as half of my kingdom!”

³Esther answered, “Your Majesty, if you really care for me and are willing to help, you can save me and my people. That’s what I really want, ⁴because a reward has been promised to anyone who kills my people. Your Majesty, if we were merely going to be sold as slaves, I would not have bothered you.”

⁵“Who would dare to do such a thing?” the king asked.

⁶Esther replied, “That evil Haman is the one out to get us!”

Haman was terrified, as he looked at the king and the queen.

In a beautiful twist of events, Haman’s scheme to hang Mordecai is used against him:

⁹Then Harbona, one of the king’s personal servants, said, “Your Majesty, Haman built a tower seventy-five feet high beside his house, so he could hang Mordecai on it. And Mordecai is the very one who spoke up and saved your life.”

Earlier, Mordecai had uncovered a plot to assassinate the king, and acted quickly enough to save the king’s life. Xerxes is infuriated to learn that Haman is now plotting to execute Mordecai.

“Hang Haman from his own tower!” the king commanded. ¹⁰Right away, Haman was hanged on the tower he had built to hang Mordecai, and the king calmed down.

²⁰Mordecai wrote down everything that had happened. Then he sent letters to the Jews everywhere in the provinces ²¹and told them:

Each year you must celebrate on both the fourteenth and the fifteenth of Adar, ²²the days when we Jews defeated our enemies. Remember this month as a time when our sorrow was turned to joy, and celebration took the place of crying. Celebrate by having parties and by giving to the poor and by sharing gifts of food with each other.

And thus began the celebration known as Purim, which commemorates this turn of events that saved a nation and celebrates the woman who used her influence to bring it all about. Esther understood that she had been brought into the kingdom “for such a time as this,” and trusted that the time would come when she could save her people. And so she did.

This story is a great reminder to us today to celebrate the victories that come in the midst of hardship. It is important to acknowledge even small steps forward when you are in the midst of a trying time. Every kindness shown to you, every good health report, a child getting all “A”s on their report card, the completion of one more chemo … celebrating these moments center your faith on the One who provides them. Purim is a Jewish feast designed to remember when a time of sorrow had turned to joy, and celebrants are encouraged to share that joy by giving to the poor and sharing gifts of food. Perhaps we also could give a gift of generosity when we receive a small triumph.

Do you have something to celebrate today? Can you recall a time when God put you in a place of influence to do something good for someone? God’s invitation is to pause and remember … and mark your joy with a gift of generosity. We give thanks to God in ALL things! He is our provider, our sustainer, and our rescuer.

Family Time by Michelle Robertson

For the Good

Posted on July 24, 2020 by Betsy

A very long time ago, I worked for a wonderful church that went through a major building project. We purchased 63 acres of land three miles from our building and built a second campus with a thousand-seat worship center. Just months before we took occupancy of the building, the congregation was invited to write their favorite scripture on the concrete floor before the carpet was laid. Folks were encouraged to figure out where they would probably sit in the new sanctuary (based on where they sat every Sunday in the current one) and write their scripture in that spot. See! We understand how important “your pew” is to you!

The other pastors and I chose a place in the front where we anticipated sitting. I took the big Sharpie pen and wrote, “For God can use ALL things for the good of those who love him, and who are called to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

I left that church 11 years ago, and those words are still there on the floor. I have experienced the truth of that scripture all of my life. No matter what comes our way….death, cancer, job loss, estrangement, pandemics….God can use those things for our GOOD.

If we let him.

And that’s the point.

Let’s back up a moment and look at that verse in its context:

Romans 8 (Contemporary English Version)

²⁶In certain ways we are weak, but the Spirit is here to help us. For example, when we don’t know what to pray for, the Spirit prays for us in ways that cannot be put into words. ²⁷All of our thoughts are known to God. He can understand what is in the mind of the Spirit, as the Spirit prays for God’s people.

The power of these two verses is profound.

When we are weak, the Spirit is here to help.

When we don’t know how to pray, all we have to do is groan.

God knows our thoughts at all times.

He understands what the Holy Spirit is doing…and what the Holy Spirit is doing is praying the prayer you can’t form the words to say.

Feel better yet?

²⁸We know that God is always at work for the good of everyone who loves him.

Here is the trick. God is always at work for our good, but we have to yield to his understanding of what is good. We have to train ourselves to have the faith and humility to lay down our concept of “good” in exchange for his.

When I left that church, I was convinced it wasn’t a good thing. I was wrong. When my daughter was diagnosed with cancer, I knew no good would come of it. Good things did come. When this horrific pandemic hit, I gave up all hope that there would be anything good in life again. Yet all around me I see evidence to the contrary. I see people reaching out to help others in ways they NEVER would have done in their pre-pandemic busyness. I see families slowing down and spending quality time with each other. I see ingenuity, creativity, compassion, and scientific understanding growing exponentially. People are reading more scripture and experiencing the presence of God in new and surprising ways. And as a nation, we are confronting and discussing centuries-old issues that we have suppressed for way too long. Do we see a lot of bad right now? Absolutely. But yielding to God’s understanding of “good” requires that we see beyond the bad.

Need more convincing? How about this:

Because we are driving less, places like Washington DC, Los Angeles, and cities in China are reporting the cleanest air they have seen in decades.

Less large ship traffic in the waters is providing relief during the annual migration of sound-sensitive animals such as humpback whales.

Walmart just announced they will be closed this Thanksgiving. Folks, that is not only good, it’s a miracle!

So is the pandemic good? Oh, heck no. But can God use bad things for our good in some way? Yes. Even in this horrific time, God is still and always will be working for our good.

Where can you claim the good today? What one thing has gotten better since this started? What aspect of your life would you not go back to when the pandemic is lifted?

Think on those things, and ponder them in your heart today.