Puzzles and promises

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Romans 8:28

On Christmas Eve, my son's school friend, very kindly turned up on our doorstep with a gift. Jack and I opened it together to reveal a 1000 piece double sided Death Star Puzzle! “This will be fun” I said, “ we can do this together!” We turned out all the pieces and set to work on trying to find the edges and make a start on bringing it all together. Two days later, my table completely taken over by 1000 jumbled up pieces of the puzzle, the outside edges still only partially complete, I realised that this was not going to be as easy (or as fun) as I thought it would be! 

As I persevered refusing to admit defeat, it reminded me of today's verse. Romans 8:28 is probably one of the most quoted bible verses among Christians. Because Paul’s words bring comfort and assurance that no matter what we face in life, what hurts or disappointments may come our way, we have the certainty that everything will work out for our good. 

So where does this assurance come from? The key word for me in this verse is that we KNOW. Why do we KNOW? Because, like Timothy says ‘I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that He is able…’ Because we KNOW that our God is a loving and faithful father, whose love remains, never changes, never fails or falters. Our hope is in Jesus, who is the same yesterday, today and forever. To quote one of my favourite worship songs ‘a hope that’s built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness’! A person who has their hope and heart firmly set on the love of God cannot be disappointed. The Jesus Storybook Bible Describes God's love for us as a “Never Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always and Forever Love.” What a promise!

Not all of the things that happen to us or those around us in life are good. We see suffering, pain, and brokenness. Like my puzzle, at times, life can feel very broken, a jumble of pieces, piled high, with no real understanding of how such a mess can come together in the end. But with such a loving Heavenly Father, a God who is goodness Himself, we KNOW that He will work out all things for our good if we simply trust and place our hope in Him, the God whose promises never fail, and who right now is waiting, longing for us to look to Him to continue to work out all for our good.  

Let’s Pray:
Heavenly Father, thank you that in every circumstance, we can turn to your unfailing love, that we can firmly put our trust and hope in you, and that even now, we know, you are working all things out for our good. Jesus may we grow to know and love you more and more through every situation that we face, and may our lives be wholly dedicated to you. Amen