God is at work in ways you can’t see yet

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Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’” Acts 21:11 (NIV)

Our objective-in-Jesus is to gather facts, but leave it up to God to interpret them.

You give God the circumstances, disasters, hindrances, and hurts in your life, then you let God interpret those circumstances.

Something you now see as a curse may actually be a blessing in bloom. God has the “seen from up high” perspective.

God may be at work in a way you can’t yet see, redirecting your life or protecting you from something far worse than the nasty-now-and-now that’s now nipping at your heels, or that’s even knocked you to the ground.

By one interpretation, Paul was about to be thrown into prison, and that would end his missionary opportunities. By God’s interpretation, Paul was about to be re-focused on writing letters that became part of the New Testament and on spreading the gospel in Rome, creating a large body of believers who would take the gospel across the world as they left Rome due to persecution.

You can walk in confidence that there’s nothing anyone can do, or that you can do, that will push you beyond the reach of God’s grace and redemption (Romans 8:28; Jeremiah 29:11). And there’s no truth in the thought that God has abandoned you, or that he just doesn’t care.

Walking by faith means you trust God even in the most difficult of situations, knowing he is the only one in position to interpret your circumstance, and he can transform all things into something good (Romans 8:28; Jeremiah 29:11).

 

Jon Walker’s new book, Breakfast with Bonhoeffer, is a story that shows how God works through the worst of circumstances, including disease, divorce, and financial downfall. “Gut-wrenching honesty, real world faith, not just another ‘feel good’ Christian story.”

This devotional © Copyright 2012 Jon Walker. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Jon Walker

Jon Walker is managing editor of Rick Warren’s Daily Hope Devotionals and a contributing editor at pastors.com. Copyright © 2017 Jon Walker. Used by permission.