The past year has been very difficult for many people. It has been a time of testing, shaking, pruning and maturing, but I can’t shake the feeling that this is just preparation for very good things coming. For several years now I’ve had a growing sense that very good things are coming. I’ve never stated this over twenty years of ministry, but I strongly believe a great move of God is coming.
The biblical reality is that no matter the circumstances you go through, good things are always coming for you. As long as we are following Jesus, the best is always yet to come. John Piper has said, “For those in Christ, it is only a matter of time until it is only joy.” As believers we believe God is working everything for our ultimate joy and happiness in eternity in heaven with him, however we also have good Scriptural reason to believe good things are always coming here on earth as well.
1. God will always bring good, even out of the bad
Romans 8:28 tells us “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.”
“In all things” … “God works for your good”.
God is always working all things for your good. This doesn’t mean you won’t face difficult circumstances, but it does mean that God will always bring good out of them.
Our ultimate hope of seeing God’s goodness is in eternity, where we will have no more tears and no more pain—only beauty and goodness forever. Any unfulfilled longings we have will be fulfilled in eternity, but we also know we will see God bring much good to our lives here on earth too.
Whenever you face difficulty or disappointment, you can trust that God will soon bring something good out of it. Begin to view everything you face in life through the filter of God’s goodness and favor over your life. Scripture tells us to receive God’s Kingdom as a little child. What does a small child with an amazing parent know that we sometimes forget? They trust their good parent completely, and have no fear. We can trust our perfect Father in heaven completely. Everything He does for us comes out of his amazing love. He will take care of us.
2. Good things follow you
Psalm 23 is one of the most popular passages of the Bible. There is something about this Scripture that speaks such peace and calm to the soul.
Psalm 23 tells us where God wants to lead each of us—to a place of rest.
It doesn’t shy away from difficulty as it also says, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me” (Ps. 23:4). Even when you go through dark moments in your life, you won’t go through them alone, and you don’t need to fear. Scripture doesn’t promise you won’t go through dark valleys, but it does promise you won’t go through them alone. Let me also add that there is something so precious about the presence of God you experience in seasons of adversity and pain. Not only is God with you, but he overwhelms you with his grace and mercy in a way you will never forget.
God is always leading you to good and pleasant places, even when the path sometimes gets dark. Dark valleys are not the end of the road when you follow Jesus. Places of rest are the promise.
Verse six tells us our ultimate destination saying, “Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
No matter what dark valleys you walk through, God’s goodness and mercy will chase you down every day of your life. Picture that for a moment, God’s goodness and love is always pursuing you. Your ultimate destination is rest and glory in the house of the Lord forever.
When you follow Jesus, good things follow you.
3. God’s plans for you are good
Jeremiah 29:11 tells us “For I know what I have planned for you,’ says the Lord. ‘I have plans to prosper you, not to harm you. I have plans to give you a future filled with hope.”
Do you ever wonder what the future holds? Do you ever wonder what God has planned for you? The Bible tells us God’s plans for you are prospering, protection, a future and a hope.
With childlike faith, you can know that your Father in heaven loves you and wants to bring good to you. Pastor Louie Giglio shares that “Because of what Jesus has done for you, you live every day of your life under the waterfall of your perfect heavenly Father’s blessing.”
You live under the waterfall of your heavenly Father’s blessing.
There’s nothing you can do to earn it or deserve all this goodness from God— you can only receive it by receiving what Christ has done for you on the cross. God loves you and wants to bless you, and it starts by receiving Christ’s forgiveness through his shed blood on the cross. When you put your trust in Jesus, you become a son or daughter of the perfect heavenly Father.
Does this mean you won’t face hardship in this life? No. We all will. We live in a broken world. But that doesn’t change the fact that God’s plans for you are good; God will always bring good, even out of the bad; and good things follow you.
This article originally appeared on Thinke.org and the Thomas Nelson Bible blog, and is reposted here by permission.